I Believed In You
by waltzalascherzo
Summary: (Swan Fire/Thief, Swan Queen) Emma knew that just because you believed in something didn't make it true. Regina knew that just because you wanted to believe in something didn't make it real. But they both did anyway. (Post Cricket Game; Cora's return to Regina; weakness and belief. A tale of belief, trust and hope.)
1. Belief

**I Believed In You**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Once Upon a Time_ or any characters within. This is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended for profit.

**Summary: **(Swan Fire/Neal, Swan Queen) Emma knew that just because you believed in something didn't make it true. Regina knew that just because you wanted to believe in something didn't make it real. But they both did anyway. (Post Cricket Game; Cora's return to Regina; weakness and belief)

**Author's Note: **I am unclear as to whether or not this will be a two-part installment. I do have a dim outline of what would transpire afterwards. Otherwise, Lana Parrilla and shipping Regina with Happiness filled me with feels and this came out. I've heard a lot of mean and hurtful things said on this show but Emma's line of Regina being someone Henry cares about and Archie the one he loves was just plain horrible. As if she didn't break Regina enough by rescinding her faith, wow. Good yet bad! Watch this show, they said. Plus, I really can't stand the Henry tug of war. I'm not mad at Emma, for I understand her line of reasoning and conclusions, but I simply couldn't wait for the series to churn out more episodes. Quotes are not exact. Assumption that Neal is Baelfire.

This story was inspired by a Tumblr post by **fakeplasticlovely**:

_It's interesting that Emma losing faith in Regina is what truly broke her._

* * *

"_You can pretend all you want, but we know how you are. We know who you are and how you will always be! You will never change!"_

"_How am I supposed to tell him that someone he loves was killed by someone he cares about?"_

She would not feel guilt.

Emma hated Regina.

Her parents were right: Regina couldn't change. She would always be the Evil Queen. Emma didn't know _what_ she was thinking, believing Regina, thinking she knew her. They had said and done a lot of hurtful things to each other but somehow denying Henry's love for Regina wouldn't stop nagging at her.

It suddenly occurred to Emma that she and Regina had essentially swapped roles. She was now the one to force a Henry blockade on Regina. Emma knew what that felt like. Now Regina was unequivocally alone, with no one believing in her, that she could change or…

_God_.

Emma _still_ understood Regina. There was so much of her that she could see in Regina and it frightened her. Emma kept turning things around in her head, desperately trying to make sense of it all.

Chasing after Regina from the party.

_Regina lifting Archie by the throat._

Regina's sincere apology.

_The clouds of magic rolling off Regina in waves._

Her lie detector staying dormant when interrogating Regina.

_Pongo barking viciously, even when Archie told him not to worry._

The look in Regina's eyes—warm.

_The look in Regina's eyes__—cold._

Archie trusted her, Henry trusted her, _Emma_ trusted her and she had betrayed them all.

Snow had told her but Emma hadn't listened. She had believed in the good in Regina's heart that she could have sworn was there. As much as she'd like to, she didn't _know_ Regina. Emma knew Mayor Mills, Regina, and she had defended her and it was stupid and hopeless and it still shouldn't hurt, it shouldn't even hurt at all—

"Mom?"

Emma, startled, dropped the microwave and screwdriver clenched in her hands, the result being a loud crash that she and Henry recoiled from. "Oh, hey, shouldn't you be in bed?"

Henry frowned disapprovingly at her. "You broke the microwave."

"I didn't break it," Emma huffed indignantly. "I, uh, maimed it. I'll replace it. We don't need to microwave cereal." She bent down and started to pick up the clutter from the microwave disembowelment she had unconsciously engaged in.

Henry immediately came over to help her pick up the pieces. Emma smiled wanly at him and paused when she looked closer at him. "Are you still sad about Archie?" She dropped everything and clutched him fiercely to her side in a one–armed hug.

A few minutes passed before Henry spoke. "I can't believe she did it."

Emma swallowed ostensibly. "Henry… Mary Margaret, David, Gold, Belle and I all saw Pongo's memories. It was Regina."

Henry turned red–rimmed eyes up to her.

"_There's always a price."_

"_Heartbreak. That's our price."_

"It doesn't make sense, Emma. Why would she do that?"

"_I have no reason to hurt anyone. I wouldn't endanger my relationship with Henry like that._"

"Ruby said she saw them arguing earlier in the day," Emma gently said.

_Emma had to make Regina understand why she was scared to trust her, and that she had someone to believe in her. The words came tumbling out of Emma's mouth in a veritable word–vomit but she had been too busy— being what, nervous?—to notice that Regina's countenance had begun to shift from open and honest to closed and suspicious._

Emma felt a shiver go down her spine. Had she unwittingly caused Regina to unleash her fury on Archie? She knew what it was like to have your trust violated, that anger rising to the surface faster than you could breathe.

"Emma," Henry said in such a condescending voice that it made Emma think only of Regina. "My mom argues with people _all_ the time. She argued with _you_ more than anyone and she saved your life."

That's what Emma had thought, too. Regina had even saved Snow White, her most reviled foe, simply because Henry had asked her to believe in him.

"Henry, there's only so much a person can take before they break. She's the Evil Queen," Emma's voice sounded dead even to her own ears. "She will never change. It was all a lie," and the anger and betrayal and overwhelming hurt choked the rest of the words in her throat.

Henry turned in Emma's arms to look up at her. The sadness in his face broke Emma's heart all over again.

Emma hated magic.

* * *

"_I want to see him more."_

_I want to see __**you**__ more._

It had almost come out, that tiny little word. That miniscule glimmer of hope—a drop of warmth on her heart. Regina had somehow let that drop cultivate like a seed in the depths of her heart, in the special place next to Henry's. It made her…different.

_Emma._

Regina could recall with a painful clarity the day before when Emma had knocked on her door, the raps of her knuckles swift and sure, as always.

* * *

_Regina had felt the chill settle at the bottom of her spine at the noise. An intruder, perhaps? A crowd ready to mete out justice now that Snow had returned? _

_Or… maybe Henry, her mind reeled frantically and Regina found her hands going instantly to her hair to fluff it back into place and down the sides of her outfit for any traces of lint._

_She would show him that she still trusted him. That she still loved him. That she had truly changed, and it didn't matter how long she would have to wait, she __**would**__wait for his love, forever if need be._

"_Miss Swan," Regina breathed lightly. Emma was bundled in a fuzzy sweater combination that wasn't abhorrent to behold. Regina could feel the nervous energy rolling off Emma in waves, the magic within her tickling her mind, begging her to take advantage of it, to relish the power she held over a woman as strong and insurmountable and…_

"_Regina," Emma's voice held a smidgen of hesitation but rang clear and true. Her eyes locked onto Regina's and there was a strange stirring in the cavern in her chest. _

_Without her consent, Regina found her lips twitching upwards. "Would you care to come in?" She stepped back in offering._

_Emma blinked rapidly a few times before swallowing a smile. "I'm actually running some errands, sorry."_

_There was no disappointment in Regina at the statement, none at all._

"_I, uhm, there's kind of a little celebration at Granny's tonight," Emma began to prattle on and her fingers began to toy with the frays at the end of her sleeves. Regina was oddly fascinated by the movement. "And, it's dumb because we already had a dinner but I guess everyone wants a potluck or something because that's bonding or something and I don't really see the point but I'm going to make tacos and I was wondering if you'd like to join us."_

_Regina was so caught up watching Emma pick at her sleeves that she got a bit lost during Emma's ramble. Regina blinked in confusion to hide her embarrassment._

_Emma chewed her lip for a moment. "Uh, as my guest? H–Henry's gonna be there, too," she added, knowing that his name was the magic word for Regina's assent._

"_I don't think I'd be welcome," Regina started and cut herself off when Emma's face clicked from nervous to confident. _

"_It's to celebrate me and Mary Margaret returning, and we wouldn't have been able to come back if you hadn't saved us."_

_The memory sent a tingle throughout Regina's body._

"_And you're my guest, and I'm the Saviour so what I say goes," Emma flippantly said and shrugged as if she didn't care one whit but Regina saw through it. _

_She knew Emma._

"_Alright, then, I'll make some lasagna. As I recall, David enjoyed that dish as well." A tight smile surfaced at the thought of being trapped in a room full of people who hated her._

"_Great," Emma injected some forced cheer into her statement. Regina cocked an eyebrow at the tone and Emma's smile transformed into one that was smaller but much more sincere._

_Regina preferred that one._

* * *

They had finished all the lasagna despite Leroy's infantile suspicions about the dish being poisoned. As if Regina would taint the dish knowing that Henry would have some. Like everything else she ever offered it was taken from her without a thanks and she was left all alone for she knew she couldn't force Henry to stay with her throughout the disgustingly chipper celebration.

Regina could see her face twist into the Evil Queen as she stared at herself in the mirror hanging in the hallway. She had been tricked again. First Snow, and then her daughter; she should have seen it coming.

"_You don't want to stay? There's cake."_

No. She had seen it but she had deluded herself into thinking that Emma was different. That _she_ was different.

"_Emma…I– I'm sorry."_

How had it come to that? Regina had chased after Emma, practically _begged_ her to accept Regina's apology. As if thanking Emma hadn't been enough she had the audacity to cultivate a forlorn hope that _Emma_ had wanted Regina to be there, too.

The way Emma had gazed at her in the interrogation room, searching Regina's eyes for any trace of falsehood, and she found none and she had believed in Regina and it felt as if Regina had an ally, finally, someone to defend her and knew of her love for Henry and believed in that and…

And…

It was all a lie.

Emma betrayed her, just as Snow did. That, Regina was used to. That she could handle.

"_Heartbreak. That's our price."_

"_You'll never change. You'll always be the Evil Queen."_

It was an utter lie. Emma never believed in her. She said that she believed in Regina, that Regina had changed.

Well, she had proven them wrong.

Didn't she.

Didn't she?

Regina felt the hurt burn in her chest, oppressive and fierce. It traversed throughout her body and the Regina looking back at her in the mirror wasn't the Evil Queen.

It was the Regina who killed her father.

The Regina who still loved her mother.

The Regina who lost Daniel.

The Regina who could have made it had Emma only kept believing in her.

She was broken again— now there was nothing left. She had lost Henry and Emma; there was truly nothing to hold her back anymore.

And that's when she felt it.

* * *

"Emma, you don't have to go," Snow pleaded.

Emma absent–mindedly drew circles on the island, the barstool under her wobbling every so often. Henry was sitting near her, dejected as she was. Her parents had taken to pacing frantically throughout the apartment. Gold had finally called in her favour to him and she was to set out with him to help him find his son. Apparently he knew where his son was so it would be a quick job, in and out; she wouldn't be gone too long.

"Regina will come after Henry," David said and laid a heavy hand on Emma's shoulder.

Henry mournfully turned baleful eyes to Emma. It made her heart constrict painfully. "What if she comes to take me?"

Emma replied instantly, in a whisper that was full of a belief she had no idea she harbored. "She won't hurt you."

"Emma, you can't know that," Snow softly said. "As much as you'd like to, you'll never _know_ Regina."

The statement irritated Emma for no apparent reason. "She won't hurt Henry," she repeated instead and glowered stubbornly at her mother.

"She has before, you said so to her face," David reminded Emma and once again she was awash with anger, guilt and shame.

She just wanted it to be over, she never wanted to relive those moments.

Never.

"I don't know how to use magic and I'm certainly not asking Gold for help, so I really doubt that I could stand in her way," Emma grumbled and she started to tap forcefully against the countertop.

"You have magic?"

Emma's spine stiffened at the accusation in Henry's voice. She quickly swiveled to face him only to feel her stomach drop at the hurt on his face. "Regina's mother tried to take my heart but she couldn't and I blasted her away with magic. Then I used it to get the memories from Pongo to see…what happened to Archie."

For a moment, Henry's expression warred between upset and contemplative. His eyes brightened suddenly and he leaned toward Emma. "Did you get the memories from her?"

"What? No, there wasn't a need to, Henry, we had a witness, that was enough," Emma stumbled slightly at the excitement in his voice.

Emma was certain that Henry believed in Regina because she had believed in him. The thought touched her but she knew that people often believed in others because they wanted to, not because it was right.

Henry shook his head rapidly. "Grandma said Cora could shape–shift. What if that was _her _instead of my mom?"

Out of the corner of her eye she could see David and Snow wince when Henry called Regina his mom. "The portal closed after we came back out, Henry, there's no way Cora could be here."

"Hook is here," the tiny admission tumbled out of Snow's lips. Emma whipped her head to behold her mother who had turned an alarming shade of pale. "He doesn't have magic and he was working with Cora…"

"No," David shook his head. "There's no reason for her to kill Archie."

"She doesn't need a reason," Emma intoned direly, recalling the events of her time in the other world.

"But she does have one," Snow brokenly whispered, tears beginning to seep out of her eyes.

"What?" David laid a comforting hand on Snow's back and rubbed soothingly.

"Regina. She killed Daniel to teach Regina a lesson. She tore out the heart of her daughter's True Love and crushed it in front of her to have her learn that love was weakness." Snow's lips had begun to tremble.

Emma felt her body freeze instantly. What if this was true? What if her intuition, her magic, hadn't failed her and Regina truly was innocent as Emma had so ardently believed?

What if Emma really _did_ know Regina?

The thoughts were frightening, the terror saturating every cell in her body.

She couldn't believe it. All the terrible things she had said to Regina, the haunted look as her words finally broke Regina, the slow shattering reflected in her eyes…

No.

"We don't know that." Emma's voice mercifully wasn't broken as she got off the stool. Three pairs of eyes honed in on hers, ranging from shock to disappointment. "Until we can prove that Cora did it— let alone is even _here_— Regina is guilty. We've proven it."

"_Exactly. I don't know how it works in your world, but here it's hard to find evidence. There's too much, it's too obvious."_

"I'm going with Gold now and we'll be back soon," Emma said and gathered Henry into her arms and held on tightly for a few moments. He was limp. When she pulled back she was disheartened to see the doubtful face so often presented to Regina now peering up at her.

Without another word, Emma left the apartment.

* * *

It was that same smile. The one she wore after she killed Daniel, after Leopold had proposed. The smile that Regina dreaded and desired: a smile of pride.

"Mother," Regina's voice was small and insignificant and in her mother's reflection in the mirror, Regina could see her start to swell.

"Regina, my darling," Cora's voice held a facsimile of love over the shadow of the true feeling. "I've come back to you."

Even in her darkest hour, or, perhaps it was _because_ it was her darkest hour, Regina's mother had reappeared once more. Even after Regina had banished her to Wonderland. Even after she had sent Hook to assassinate her.

It was the most painful type of love she had ever experienced because this woman loved her back.

"I know why you did it, why you did it all." Cora glided her way across the room to stand behind Regina and the mirror, once more, just like she did when Regina had first used magic. The pose she adopted was the very same, the flinch Regina gave when her mother's arm encased her, exact and familiar.

Cora had always stayed by her side.

"I did what I had to," Regina murmured.

Cora had always done what she believed to be right for Regina. All of it was for Regina.

"I know," Cora whispered and the back of her hand brushed the hair behind Regina's ear.

Cora had always defended Regina.

"I just wanted to be free," and her belief was marred by her memories.

Cora always returned to Regina.

"_Power_ is freedom," Cora breathed and her grip around Regina tightened.

There was nothing left to break so Regina turned in her mother's arms to face the woman. "I need you."

Cora's smile was beatific.

* * *

Emma knew she couldn't run away anymore. Her whole life had been spent running, whether to find or to escape, it didn't matter. When presented with anything, Emma ran. Until Henry, it was all she had ever known and so, _so_ many times since he came into her life, Emma was tempted to run. The last time she tried to, Henry had fallen into a coma and her whole world was changed forever once more.

Now it had happened to her again. Gold's son turned out to be Neal and she was bringing him back to Storybrooke, to _their_ son. Emma couldn't decide how she felt about it. Betrayal, hurt, anger, sadness, love, they all clashed fiercely within her heart and she could feel herself hyper–ventilate even thinking about it. As if sensing her distress, Neal placed a hand on her thigh and she nearly crashed them into the Storybrooke sign.

"What the hell?" Emma hissed defensively and slapped his hand off her, ignoring the thrill in her body his touch evoked.

"I was just trying to calm you down," Neal offered up his hands in surrender and Emma rolled her eyes at Gold's murderous expression in the rear–view mirror.

"Okay, you don't get to tell me what to do, just like it was _never_ your place to decide what was best for me," Emma snarled and bore her eyes into his for a moment before ripping them away to the road.

"Are you going to be mad at me forever? I said I was sorry," Neal huffed petulantly before continuing in a sincere voice. "I did it because I love you."

The tires squealed horrifically as Emma slammed on the brakes, not caring that she stopped them in the middle of the road or that Gold and Neal were thrown haphazardly against the vehicle.

She hoped they bruised something terrible.

"No, you did it because you were _afraid_," Emma exhaled loudly. She was still pissed at August but she had forgiven Neal because she still loved him, despite all of the pain his betrayal and abandonment caused. "When you love someone, you believe in them, you trust them, you don't _leave_ them. I could have still broken the curse. August could have brought us to Storybrooke and we could have found a way,_ together._" The tears flowing down Emma's cheeks were like ice.

Neal listened.

He tentatively placed his hand on hers and she moved her palm so their fingers entwined. "I'm sorry."

Emma nodded tightly and finally turned to face him and saw the man she loved shining in his eyes. "I know."

Neal swallowed. "I love you."

"I know." Emma couldn't let him back in again, not so quickly. She was afraid her love for him would swallow her again. She cleared her throat and retracted her hand. "Let's go see our son."

Emma could see the way Neal's smile lit his whole face, giving him that boyish enthusiasm she had always been enamored with. "You're going to have to show me all his embarrassing baby pictures," he joked.

"Oh, Emma doesn't have those," Gold finally spoke up from the backseat.

Neal turned to face his father and Emma gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white from the exertion. "What do you mean, Dad?"

"Well, Bae, Emma gave Henry up for adoption. He was adopted by Regina, the Evil Queen," Gold loftily said Regina's name as if it was nothing of import but Emma's jaw clenched all the same.

"Oh, so we're going to her place?" Neal turned to Emma.

"What? No, she doesn't have Henry, _I'm_ his mother," Emma sourly stated.

Neal gave her a strange look. "She took care of him, right? Wait, he's not a little punk like you were, is he?" His smile poked at the anger in Emma's heart.

"She hasn't changed. She's still evil," Emma persisted and she wondered if she was trying to be an adult, convincing her childish belief in Regina being good to evaporate.

"She's a part of his life, and I don't think that anyone's beyond redemption," Neal quietly said and Emma caught a shine in Gold's eyes. "She's probably alone and sad, frightened…"he trailed off and looked out the side of the window before looking to Emma again. "Hurt. Those things can overwhelm a person, make them into something they're not. No matter the evil they've done, they still need someone to love them, to help them see who they truly are."

"I believed her," Emma choked out and was aghast at the emotion bottled up inside her. "I believed her when no one else would and I was wrong."

Neal gazed steadily at Emma. "Do you really believe you were wrong?"

Emma closed her eyes. "No," she admitted and she felt a great weight lift off her chest.

"Alright," Neal said brightly. "Dad, you can help me and Emma get to the bottom of this, right?"

"Of course, Bae, I'll help you but I really don't see why you feel the need to do so," Gold said.

Neal shrugged. "I'm not gonna have my son's other mother fall to the darkness. He deserves to have all of his family to be okay."

Emma jumped as her phone started to vibrate violently in her pocket. She pulled it out to see a text from Snow.

The phone clattered to the seat as she slammed on the gas and tore down the road.

* * *

"This was weakness," Cora stated, her voice sounding far–away even though her shoulder was brushing Regina's. The flames erupting from the pillars that upheld City Hall licked at the sky. Regina could envision the fire's steady devastation burn her office, years of memories being swallowed bit by bit.

The heat warmed her cheeks considerably.

"You have to destroy the weakness— only then can you be strong. A Queen is strong."

Regina's lower lip forced her upper one up into a smirk. "And the wretched world can finally have the Queen it deserves."

Cora's chest swelled with pride as she glanced at Regina. "Now this was only an exercise but it has served a dual purpose. Snow White and Emma will surely notice this and they will come for you." Regina trembled slightly but Cora paid it no heed. "I will be here, with you, my darling."

The soft caress against Regina's cheek burned hotter than any flame.

"Then I will do what I must, Mother," Regina's voice echoed across the gulf in her heart.

* * *

"Where is he?" Emma demanded as she threw open the car door and sprinted across the sidewalk to where her parents and the townsfolk were gathered under the clock. The bright flames of a fire lit up the black sky and its colour intensified with each second Emma drove further into the town. Neal and Gold hurried to her side but their presence afforded Emma little comfort. "Where did she take him," she growled and she could picture herself choking Regina, tying her to that damned tree, taking that sword and…

"We don't know that she _did_ take Henry," Snow hesitantly offered. "He went up to your room to get ready for bed and it was only a few minutes but when Charming and I went to check on him he was gone. We had Blue come over to check for magic traces but she didn't find any."

Emma frowned. "That means he snuck out." He must think that Regina can still be saved. Henry, Emma sighed, that was _her_ job. "Great. And now what, Regina's razing the town?"

David shifted his body and the sword on his back wobbled precariously for a moment. "It looks like only City Hall has been targeted for the moment. It's been burning for awhile now but Regina hasn't budged an inch." He shot Emma an apprehensive look. "Like she's waiting for someone."

"Me," Emma mumbled and her shoulders sagged. "Okay, it's obvious she wants me so the rest of you need to find Henry while I take care of her."

"Wait, Emma! You don't know how to use your magic—you may be stronger than Regina but she knows how to use magic properly. She _will_ defeat you," Snow stepped close to Emma. She gave Neal a quick glance and Emma shook her head. There wasn't any time for that now.

Then Emma heard it. Even amidst the roar of the crowd and omnipresent crackling of flames, her son's voice penetrated through the thick atmosphere so that it was a whisper against her heart. Emma shoved Neal and Gold aside and ran straight to Henry, the both of them colliding in a tight hug.

"Don't _ever_ go sneaking out again! I don't care if you think it's a good idea, you need to let me or Mary Margaret or David know! It was stupid and irresponsible and," Emma grunted as Henry cut off her rant by pushing his hands into her stomach. She released her hold on him and Pongo immediately laid his paws upon her leg and began yapping happily. Emma, confused, looked up and felt the blood drain from her face the instant she heard a collective gasp as everyone beheld a rather bedraggled Archie Hopper.

"Archie! You're alive!" Emma maneuvered around Henry and Pongo to clasp Archie's shoulder but pulled it back immediately upon seeing him wince.

"Somehow," Archie joked. "Listen to me Emma, Regina's mother was behind everything. Henry told me that she set–up Regina and, well, bad things happened."

"I snuck out to get Pongo from Ruby's and we went and followed him to Hook's ship and found Archie in the hold. Don't be mad at Ruby," Henry pleaded.

Emma shakily ran a hand through her hair, hoping to gain a moment's composure. "Okay, I'm glad you're all safe and everything, but Regina's gone off the deep end. I don't think she's coming back from this one."

Henry vehemently shook his head. "She can! She just needs someone to believe in her," he looked up at Emma imploringly and she felt her heart break anew.

Emma lowered herself so she could look Henry in the eyes. "She may be beyond saving."

"You're the Saviour!" Henry yelled and backed away from Emma. "You can't know until you try!"

"Henry! I already tried! See this!" She gestured wildly at the flames crisping the night sky behind her. "This is her refusing to change! This is her truth!"

Henry's body began to shake with anger and he attempted to bulldoze his way through the crowd and for a horrible moment Emma thought he had slipped past her fingers but Neal caught the boy in his arms.

"Hey, Henry, your mom can't be helped if you're angry," he said and persisted his hold on Henry's shoulders even when the boy began to struggle. "She needs you to believe in her from a place of love and compassion. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Henry gulped back his tears and felt his heart wrench as he looked at the man who was achingly familiar. "I love her," he tremulously admitted and could see his grandparents hang their heads out of his peripheral vision. Emma was behind him and he was afraid to see what her expression held.

The man held Henry's gaze for a long moment, his smile was heart–felt and Henry loved him instantly, as he had Emma. "I know."

"Emma!" Snow screamed and Henry and the man turned to see a blur of blonde getting into a car and tearing off toward City Hall.

* * *

Regina felt nothing as she heard the roar of an engine get ever louder. The flames in front of her washed away her feelings, hesitations, thoughts as if they were but specks on the ground, invisible to the eye but able to be vanquished all the same.

She knew it was Emma even before the woman called her name. Ever since they had opened the portal together, Emma's magic had touched her, whispering insidiously in her veins, the purity of True Love mocking her constantly. Regina closed her eyes and breathed in Emma's feelings. The magic sparked like an open wire, huge bursts of power being haphazardly flung about with no true purpose or focus. They could easily be redirected, smothered.

"Miss Swan," Regina slowly enunciated as she turned to face Emma. The woman was wearing that damnable jacket again. Regina's eyes narrowed as she beheld the conflict on Emma's face. "Since you were so gracious to extend me an invitation, I am obliged to offer the same to you. This," she swept an arm behind her, "is my celebration. A purge, if you will. You see, Miss Swan…"

"Archie's alive," Emma interrupted swiftly. Regina felt her breath catch momentarily and something flare up inside her chest before she smothered it. Emma gazed at her searchingly, looking for something Regina knew to not exist.

Regina strode forward slowly, relishing the fear dancing in Emma's eyes even as she planted her feet firmly on the ground. She stopped a scant few feet in front of Emma, so close that she could smell her. Regina's lip curled as she extended an arm to cup Emma's chin. "I expect supplication, dear." A flick of her wrist and Emma cried out as gravity forced her to her knees. "On your knees. Beg for my forgiveness," Regina hissed and her grip on Emma's jaw tightened.

Emma's eyes burned brighter than the fires. It was beautiful. "Fuck you," she snarled and the burst from her magic shoved Regina back and it took a moment for Regina to correct her trajectory. When she looked up, she could see the gashes on Emma's face left by her nails when she was blasted back by the force of Emma's feelings.

Regina's eyes danced with hunger as she beheld Emma. The thrill of a worthy opponent, one who had never backed down, filled her blood and made her magic dance. The anger exuding off Emma created a mighty current of wind that blew Regina's hair back. She had never felt such utter exhilaration before. That was when she remembered her mother was lurking nearby and knew that if she felt it, her mother could and would succeed if she did not.

And Regina refused to fail.

* * *

Emma snarled as Regina's face fought to find purchase on a single emotion. She was a mirror to Emma's heart and it simultaneously broke and healed her. "I believed in you!" Emma screamed and all her emotions ignited something stirring in her blood, an electric current coursing through her veins and the power of her feelings sent a huge gust of wind toward Regina. She flinched but held her ground.

"You betrayed me!" Regina suddenly let her mask of indifference slip into something raw with hurt. Emma felt her own anger waver in the face of the pain etched in Regina's face. "You _left_ me, just like Henry, just like Daniel, just like Snow! No matter what I do, it's never good enough, is it!?"

Emma grunted as Regina sent another blast of magic her way, propelling her back a few feet but thankfully not ripping her off the ground as it had done only several days before. "You're not blameless here, either, Regina! You killed Graham and countless others, and hurt far more emotionally. Your heart is as black as your mother's!"

Regina's face crumpled before a cloud of purple burst from her center, her eyes taking on a violet hue. Emma screamed as rough, unyielding branches cut in her body as they burst from the ground, encasing her in their grip. Emma struggled valiantly but ultimately in vain. Regina stalked towards Emma with dark purpose and Emma's heart churned with fear.

"Graham was dying anyway, you fool girl. He no longer had his heart and this world had no magic in it and his memories were slowly killing him." She smirked hollowly. "I did him a favour by ending it quickly. I regret nothing," she emphasized as the clouds billowing from her body died down and her eyes returned to her normal chocolate colour. "Say what you will about my mother but she has never stopped believing in me."

Emma's stomach roiled and she was sickened by the belief Regina held. It was awful, it was abuse, and it was the most twisted mockery of love she had ever seen.

She _did_ know Regina.

"Henry loves you," Emma admitted and it wasn't painful to her anymore. Something snapped behind Regina's eyes and that was all the clarification Emma needed. "You're breaking his heart to save him," she whispered, anguished. All the fight drained out of her as Regina's face morphed into the Regina Emma knew and believed in. "I'm not afraid of you," she whispered. "He loves you," she repeated like each time Regina heard it would break through the walls to her heart.

Something clicked in Regina's eyes and she lost herself again as she brought a hand up to stroke at the column of Emma's neck. "And what about you, dear?"

The statement pierced Emma's heart quicker than any blade could. The air left her lungs in a whoosh and she struggled anew against her bonds. Regina's mouth kept shifting from a frown to a smile.

"Mom!"

Emma was sure her fear was the exact same as Regina's as her hand twitched against Emma's throat. Emma craned her neck as far as she could to see everyone she loved— plus Gold— stampede their way toward her only to be knocked back by an invisible wall.

"Well, well, Snow, it seems you've brought everyone of import with you. You always were obedient," Cora chuckled as she revealed herself from the cover of night, air shimmering around her form, the only traces of magic visible.

Snow, David, Henry, Ruby, Archie, Neal and Gold all began to pick themselves slowly off the ground, their movements each a stake to Emma's heart. She chanced a look to Regina and was unsurprised to see her gaze focused on Henry, his own eyes honed on Regina's.

"Mom, please, don't do it, this isn't you."

Regina gulped slightly and no one but Emma could see it. "And what makes you think you know me, little boy?" The words clearly cut Henry to the quick and the tears began to cascade down his cheeks. "You should have listened to your real mother and stayed far away from me, for you will find nothing of value here. A Queen has no use for weakness," she deliberately hung on the last word and Snow's eyes widened in understanding and she clutched Henry tighter to her chest.

"Why did you frame Regina?" Snow demanded of Cora and Regina's grip on Emma's throat loosened.

Cora appeared bemused by the question. "I did it to help her, Snow, because mothers know best, don't they? Would you not go to any lengths to protect and save your child?" At Snow's horrified expression, Cora shook her head. "We're really not all that different, you and I." Her callous comments filled Emma with a sense of remorse and pity for Regina. "Or Rumplestiltskin," Cora grinned at Gold and her eyes landed on Neal. "Creating the curse and using my daughter simply to find your own son, you are certainly one of the greatest teachers of all," she dipped into a mocking bow.

Neal eyed Gold warily but stayed next to his father.

"She's mine, too, dearie," Gold's voice was completely flat but his eyes glittered in a way that frightened Emma. Everyone but Cora seemed shocked by the revelation.

The fingers twitching against Emma's neck was the only outward indication of Regina's shock. "Is everyone part of one big happy family?" Emma choked out.

"Emma," Regina chastised under her breath and Emma almost laughed at the absurdity of the normal response.

"I see that your aura has changed," Cora clucked at Gold. "It would seem you've let love cloud your senses and drain you of your powers. Oh, Rumple, you hypocrite."

Emma's breathing came even faster than before and she was afraid she would die of a heart attack before anything else. She could practically see all of her loved ones dying under the fires of Cora's depravity. Regina's fingers splayed tightly against her jugular and Emma felt her heart rate slow exponentially but when she looked to Regina the woman was already gazing steadily at Cora.

"Regina, take her heart," Cora's tone brokered no argument.

Snow and Gold's eyes scrunched in confusion, as did Emma's. Cora couldn't take her heart, so why would she ask it of Regina?

Regina, however, returned her gaze to Emma and she squirmed against her restraints when she beheld the coldness in Regina's eyes. The woman plunged her hand into Emma's chest and the intrusion was both terrifying and exhilarating. Unlike Cora, Regina's hand was warm as it grasped her heart.

"Regina can't take her heart, you know that," Snow called to Cora but she merely retained a smug expression as she beheld her daughter.

Regina's eyes never left Emma's since she gripped Emma's heart. Emma felt her pulse quicken as Regina's eyelids fluttered rapidly and her own chest began to rise and fall in quick succession. Her grip on Emma's heart was a caress compared to Cora's suffocating chokehold.

Regina pulled her hand back.

* * *

Emma gasped in shock and at the sensation of having her heart escape her body and Regina was pretty sure that Snow and the others screamed but their cries fell by the wayside as she held the heart of the Saviour in her hand. It was quite unlike any other heart she had held.

There was a different kind of warmth about it, one that permeated throughout her body and not just her hand. It was a fountain of emotion and memories and if Regina concentrated hard enough she could ascertain Emma's thoughts.

"How come you can take it?" Emma's broken whisper shattered Regina's concentration. She looked into Emma's eyes (so familiar, so heart–breaking, looking at her just the same as when they first met.)

"Regina."

At Cora's beckon, Regina inclined her head towards her mother but kept her eyes trained on Emma's. The heart in her hand vibrated with a startling intensity.

Regina remembered how addictive it was.

"You know why you could take her heart." Cora drew close to Regina, looming over her shoulder to gaze at the Saviour's heart. There was a manic gleam in her eyes that Regina recoiled from. "And you know that's why you must destroy it."

"No weakness," the answer fell automatically from Regina's lips. She wondered if Snow and the others could actually do or say anything. Everything was so, so very quiet.

Emma began to cry.

The heart assaulted Regina's mind with images of Emma's life, her happiness.

"_You can pretend all you want, but we know how you are."_

She could see how she'd do it: not a quick clench of her fingers, no, that was too fast, too merciful.

"_We know who you are and how you will always be."_

Would it be better to have a slow grinding of her fingers? Should she look at Snow instead?

"_You will __**never**_ _change!"_

Regina paused. That voice wasn't just Emma's. There were several voices creating a cacophony of hatred and dismissal. It was like a thousand swords piercing her heart and she couldn't stop her memories of her last fight with Emma.

_No, no matter how hard you work or what you do, you will never change. __**They**__ will never change._

Perhaps it would be best to draw out Emma's death. Keep bringing her to the edge, agony so intense that the despair will break her and she will beg Regina to end her.

And Regina will deny Emma that.

When she finally believed Emma, truly trusted her, that's when she lied to Regina. Regina let her in and she was betrayed in the most painful of ways. She was infuriated, inexplicably hurt that Emma used treasured information against her, things she had never told anyone, windows she had opened slammed down until the glass shattered and the shards punctured her heart and embedded themselves in it, constant wounds that oozed endless pain.

Regina cared too much for Emma and that was precisely why she had to destroy her.

Her fingers began to tighten around Emma's heart and Emma gasped— a primal sound that ripped at the tattered remains of Regina's heart. That's when Emma's heart reflected back Regina's previous thoughts.

_That's why she was so mad. She's just like you._

Regina paused.

Emma's tears glittered red in the glow of the burning building behind Regina. "I'm sorry."

_She's lying!_

Regina's arm began to shake violently.

_She'll just betray you again and again! You can't let her!_

The heart in Regina's hand began to slow its frantic pace. Sincerity flowed from it and Regina felt her conviction falter.

Emma spoke in a clear voice. "I believe in you."


	2. Trust

**I Believed In You**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Once Upon a Time_ or any characters within. This is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended for profit.

**Summary: **(Swan Fire/Thief, Swan Queen) Emma knew that just because you believed in something didn't make it true. Regina knew that just because you wanted to believe in something didn't make it real. But they both did anyway. (Post Cricket Game; Cora's return to Regina; weakness and belief)

**Chapter Note: **Contains spoilers for the episode 2.12, In the Name of the Brother. Quotes are not exact. Assumption that Neal is Baelfire. Contains Cora and Eva backstory. Part two of three.

**Author's Note: **This story was written so that it may be viewed in three different ways: You may see each chapter as an 'official' ending. One can be viewed by itself, two as a continuation and ending to one, and the upcoming final part as the ending to all three. I loved how the first chapter ended and the open interpretation it offered, as well as how this chapter ends. I hope that everyone can enjoy the story in a different way, knowing my intentions behind how it plays out. Thank you so much for the reviews, favourites, follows and general views! Meanwhile I will be accruing angst over what the connection between Eva and Cora will truly turn out to be…

This story was inspired by a Tumblr post by **fakeplasticlovely**:

_It's interesting that Emma losing faith in Regina is what truly broke her._

* * *

"_I believe in you."_

To Regina Mills, the promise of love meant everything.

Throughout her life, Regina had always grasped at a shadow of a dream, never knowing what love was truly like. There were snippets of time, times with Daniel, her father, Snow and Henry, that Regina felt it. The real power of the feeling.

Regina believed that love, _True Love_, could do anything.

It could heal a person.

It could _save_ a person.

That was part of the reason she still loved her mother. It was why she couldn't kill Cora, because a part of it would kill her, whatever small bits of her that were still left.

Love _ruined_ Regina.

It was taken from her, ripped out in front of her eyes, destroyed by her own hand, her attempts at earning it, never enough.

Those she loved and who loved her had either stood idly by, their love not enough to save her, or their love destroyed because they had chosen to care for Regina.

It was like she destroyed everything she touched, even when it was the furthest thing from her mind. Eventually, all that she loved crumpled under her influence, benign or malevolent.

She didn't know how to love properly.

Not anymore.

"_There is no happiness left for me in this life."_

Regina had said that once when she went by the moniker, The Evil Queen. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that she destroyed _all _of the happiness in her life, each moment a price for every dreadful thing she'd done.

If there was no happiness left, what was the point of changing? It would accomplish nothing.

Her loving someone?

It would mean nothing, _less than nothing_.

The Curse saw to that: if there was any love left in her heart, it was obliterated, overrun with a void, the void which could never be filled.

She knew the price but she paid it, anyway.

There was nothing left for her to lose.

Regina had destroyed what little there was, in the name of her desire for her broken Happy Ending, and what else she was too terrified to admit to herself.

Perhaps she had never been 'good' and that's why she lost everything and everyone, time after time, without fail. Daniel and the others, they had all come into her life, simply to taunt her. To hover just out of her reach, rendering her incapable of clutching them to her heart and protecting them with her very soul. It was all a ruse, her thinking she had a part of them with her. They were let in and they destroyed her from the inside with every heartbeat.

She thought she could find a place for her in Storybrooke, in a different world. Regina didn't fit in on either side, light or dark, no matter how hard she tried to do so. There was too much of each in her.

Unsurprisingly, she was wrong.

Then, everything changed when Emma Swan shuffled up the walkway to Regina's home for the first time. Reflecting upon it now, Regina was startled by how empty her life had been before Emma. Her love for Henry was a farce: never true because of the void in her heart. With each passing day while Emma remained in the town, Regina felt the void in her heart begin to fill, bit by bit.

Was that why Emma stayed?

Her innate magic was so powerful, even in the world without magic, that she could tell when a person lied, or that their heart wasn't truthful. When she asked Regina if she loved Henry, Regina had replied honestly. She _did_ love Henry but, because of the void, it wasn't true.

Emma _must_ have known that. That _must_ have been why she felt Emma's gaze on her in the hospital when she told Henry she loved him. Even if he didn't believe it, Emma did.

That was the first time Emma believed in Regina.

There were little hints before Emma broke the Curse–tiny little things that cropped up here and there. Their interactions, always affecting Regina in powerful ways, ways that she hadn't felt since Snow White, emotions running hotter and more intense than even those.

Sometimes the smallest things would take the most room in a person's heart, this Regina knew.

Regina could recall with perfect clarity the times when Henry used to love her and the moments when Emma would look at her and know her as _Regina_, not The Evil Queen or even Regina Mills.

Emma was the first person in a long time to see Regina as herself and somehow that knowledge spurred Regina on, letting Emma in. She had let Emma get in and become too close for there were things about them that _were_ too close, eerily similar in ways that terrified Regina.

Somehow, Emma's belief in her had overtaken Regina's mind and had begun to restore her heart. When she lost Emma's faith in her, it had broken her in ways she thought would never happen again.

Emma had broken her promises to Regina, had pushed her away and Regina was livid. That wasn't something that Emma was supposed to do. Regina had believed in her, trusted in her. Emma had left her.

That's when Regina finally understood.

Emma was her mirror.

All of those things, Regina had done.

In that moment, Regina knew what she had to do.

* * *

Emma had experienced a lot of fucked up things in her life. After her jaunt into her parents' world, she thought there couldn't possibly anything that would phase her. She had seen the darkest side of both worlds, the horrors of each ravaging the hearts of people in ways she was uncomfortably familiar with.

The look on Regina's face was as broken and cracked as her own heart.

Sometimes Emma couldn't fathom the terror that Regina was. Once upon a time, she had accused Regina of having no soul and that was partially true. Now that Emma had witnessed Regina's mother and the world she came from, it was entirely possible that there wasn't much left in Regina's heart. She had experienced the worst of _both_ worlds for years. It was little wonder that Regina had done the things she did—the desperation caving in around her, blocking everything and everyone from her and vice versa.

Emma wondered if her magic allowed her to be able to love, no matter what had been thrown at her.

She had loved Neal when there was nothing she could have drawn experience from to navigate her feelings. She learned to love Henry and her parents to the point where she now wanted them all to live together and be a _family_: a dream, a wild, fanciful thing that had no place in the world. She had never given up on it, only locked it deep inside her in a place no one was meant to see but they had burrowed their way into, anyway.

Did Regina want that?

Did she want someone to love her as Emma had wanted, too?

To have a family, a place to call home?

Did she want to stop running?

Was she tired, too?

Her heart was in Regina's hands and Emma didn't know a lot about magic but she wondered if Regina could tell what she was thinking. There had always been a line of silent communication between them, a tremor of understanding in their gazes.

They had accepted each other for who they were.

Until Emma had turned her back on Regina.

She knew what it was like, to have someone utterly abandon you and lose faith in you, to break their promises and deny all that they once shared.

Emma realized that it was _she_ who had truly broken Regina and the thought devastated her.

Who could Regina turn to when Emma turned away?

Henry had admitted he still loved her, but he couldn't understand her like Emma could. No one really could, Emma thought. Maybe that's why she was the Saviour—to save Regina, the one who cast the Curse. Emma knew that words could get skewed in the passage of time. To "defeat" the Evil Queen…maybe it meant to defeat the darkness in Regina, to restore her? To restore Regina the way Emma had been repaired.

By people believing in her.

So she said it again: "Regina," Emma whispered, her estranged heart giving an encouraging thump, "I believe in you."

Her heart could sense no falsehood in the tears that ran silently down Regina's cheeks, hidden to Cora and the others. There must have been tears running down her heart, as well.

Emma felt no fear as Regina drew closer to her. The memory of the time Regina pleaded for Emma to help her at the mines curled around the corners of her eyes, warping the image of Regina in front of her.

Regina brought her free hand up to Emma's face, her fingertips caressing the scratches caused by them earlier during their fight. Emma felt the strange sensation of her skin stitching together under Regina's touch. Regina moved her fingers slowly under Emma's jaw and trailed them to the spot on her chest where her heart was supposed to lie.

"I know," Regina answered. "I understand why you believed what you saw." She smirked lightly and Emma felt her face respond in a smile she had only ever used with Regina. "Even if you trusted a mutt but I guess you _do_ have a penchant for scruffy ruffians." Her expression grew somber and she gently returned Emma's heart. She kept her hand over Emma's chest. "Will you forgive me?"

Emma laid her hand on top of Regina's. "Okay."

Regina smiled in such a way that Emma hadn't an inkling of why she doubted her in the first place.

Emma blinked.

She blinked rapidly several more times.

Startled, she shook her head.

"Emma!" Her mother screamed loudest amidst the cacophony of voices her loved ones were making.

Emma beheld them, confused. She returned her gaze to straight in front of her, where Cora was standing behind Regina, like a predator itching for the opportune moment to pounce. Regina was staring steadily at Emma, Emma's heart still in her grasp.

_What the hell just happened?_

"Are you going to control her, Regina?" Cora asked silkily.

"It would be fitting, I think," Regina replied distantly. She drummed her fingers lightly against Emma's heart. "To have the daughter destroy the mother."

Cora pulled her head back quickly, a calculating look on her face. "Regina, what are you talking about?"

The voices fell silent around them as Regina stepped closer to Emma and turned so that she partially facing her mother. Emma could practically see Regina's steely expression in her mind's eye, her voice giving rise to the vision. "I believe in Emma," Regina stated simply and returned Emma's heart swiftly, her hand resting on the skin briefly before becoming encased with a green mist. She fashioned the hand into a fist and punched the air toward her mother, the green mist dissipating in a cloud that engulfed everyone present.

* * *

Regina anticipated Emma's fall due to the transportation spell and the release from her bonds and was able to maneuver herself immediately to catch her. She wasn't quite prepared for the warm jolt that shot through her as Emma collapsed into her arms. She had siphoned a bit of Emma's magic to counteract the crippling agony the violent magic she had absorbed from the well caused her, but the outpouring of Emma's magic, just _naturally_ floating off her, was more than she bargained for. Her pulse began to race and she was tempted to shove the woman off but Emma quickly found purchase on her forearms and gripped tightly and righted herself.

Her arms were liable to burst into flames at the scorching touch.

"Steady on, dear," Regina murmured as Emma's woozy glance attempted to focus on her. Her eyes cleared in alarm the second Regina felt a body collide into hers, tackling her to the ground.

"Stay away from my daughter!" Snow started as she began to pummel Regina with her fists. Regina wearily brought her forearms up to block Snow's onslaught but her attacks suddenly stopped and her weight was lifted off Regina. She peeked from behind her arms to see Emma wresting Snow off her. There was a dim pounding in the back of her head.

"Enough!" Emma shouted as she twisted her body, placing herself between Regina and everyone else. It was rather cramped, since Regina had transported them to the back of Gold's shop, a place she knew Cora would have trouble breaching. She was honestly surprised that she was able to penetrate the barriers herself, but she had three different magics powering her spell: hers, Emma's and the foul magic she absorbed, all terribly powerful in their own right.

"She took your heart!" David yelled, backing up Snow and advancing toward Regina. The man Regina didn't recognize from the group shouldered past David to stand with Emma causing a tender ache in Regina's chest.

"She gave it back," Emma snarled and released her mother but stood firm in her spot.

"You can't trust her," Snow pleaded and Regina found that she couldn't fault the woman for her disbelief. Snow knew all too well of Regina's past and broken promises. In certain aspects, Snow was hurt worse than Emma was by Regina. Snow had witnessed a far more sinister side than Emma ever had. She wondered if Emma had seen that side of her, would she be so adamant in her defense of Regina?

"If I had, we wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place." The guilt in Emma's voice was clear.

"_I understand why you believed what you saw."_

Regina frowned.

"Besides, you're the one that told me we shouldn't play the blame game," Emma sulked slightly and Regina found herself fondly rolling her eyes at the woman. The tension began to filter out of the room, postures relaxing and the man next to Emma turned to Regina, a warm grin on his face. He offered his hand to Regina. She took it.

"Hey, sis," the man joked and Regina instantly knew why Emma loved him. She could see Henry in this man's face and demeanor, even in his gentle touch. He held her hand firmly and for some strange reason, she allowed it.

"_Half_-sister," Regina corrected immediately, schooling her features into displeasure. He was nonplussed. Idiot. "Not only are you my half–brother but also the father of my son." She glared stonily at Rumplestiltskin who wore a fake sheepish expression.

"You're still my mom," a tiny voice from behind Baelfire whispered and Regina extricated her hand from his. Henry was chewing his lip thoughtfully and Emma turned around. Regina tore her eyes from him to look at the three in front of her.

A _family_.

The magic within her flared with the pain but Emma reached across the scant distance and grazed her fingers against Regina's hand, dispelling the pain and subsequent magic in an instant. Regina narrowed her eyes—had Emma somehow sensed what had happened?

The thought fell by the wayside as Henry engulfed Regina in a fierce hug, virtually identical to the one he had given the last time they were in this room. She cradled his head gently against her body and ran a hand through his hair as she relished the moment. The place in her heart designated for him lapped up the sensation greedily and locked the memory tightly away. She pushed gently at his shoulders to distance him from her but he obstinately dug in his heels and refused to budge.

Just like Emma.

Regina relinquished control of the space to Henry and felt a bittersweet stab to her soul when he inched closer to her. "I once told you that I didn't know how to love very well." Henry nodded and Regina blinked back her tears. "I'd forgotten that love existed inside those I wanted it from. I feel it now, from you," and the rest of her words echoed restlessly in her mind. "…I truly love you, and I hope that one day you will forgive me."

Henry nodded slowly and his similar sentiment was mumbled against her clothes but she heard it all the same. She gulped as she caught Emma's eyes, narrowed slightly in suspicion. Regina knew that Emma no longer doubted her love for Henry, but her plea for forgiveness. Emma knew something was amiss but Regina knew there would be no stopping her this time. Emma's family would prevent her from doing something foolish, as she was wont to do.

"What are you planning, dearie?"

Regina cleared her throat and addressed Rumplestiltskin, Henry keeping his arms around her. "The Vas Gol," Regina shrugged to play the statement off as inconsequential. The blank looks from the rest of the room's occupants were a welcome relief.

Rumplestiltskin, however, started, a look of fear filtering onto his face and Regina pushed back the thought of his revelation of being her blood father. "You haven't the necessary power."

"I have the magic from the well. The spell will drain the magic completely."

_And more_.

"It's unpredictable at best," he replied and it sounded as if he were trying to talk her out of it.

"Which is why I'm going alone," Regina stated and felt Henry's arms around her tense.

"The hell you are!" Emma predictably spoke up. "I'm not going to let you face Cora alone." Her stubborn countenance was unrelenting under Regina's glare. Baelfire was also gazing back and forth between Emma and Regina, a contemplative look on his face. Regina caught his eye and clenched her jaw and his silent response made her thankful that he was here.

"Dear, just because she can't _take_ your heart, doesn't mean she can't destroy it," Regina said, not unkindly.

Emma's face transformed from angry to wounded in an instant. "Why _could_ you take it?"

Regina shook her head swiftly to cut off Rumplestiltskin. "Because you _gave_ it to me."

"That's impossible!" David indignantly piped up. Regina turned to look at him, his frame quaking with anger while Snow was shivering in horror. She understood, but she would know better than to tell Emma.

"Emma trusted Regina not to kill her, that would have been enough for Regina to take it," Rumplestiltskin supplied, thankfully putting an end to the conversation.

"His magic and yours," Regina looked back to Emma, "should be sufficient to defeat my mother in the case of my failure."

"You can't throw your life away!" Henry demanded and pulled back from Regina to give her a familiar angry look.

"She won't kill me," Regina said and it was not a lie. "I don't want anyone to see me do this. Especially you. It's not a pleasant spell, Henry."

"You _promised_ you wouldn't use magic," Henry folded his arms.

"I'm not going to earn your love by engaging in magic or by not doing it," Regina sternly stated. Henry looked hurt but Regina had prepared herself for this. "Love isn't earned, and as much as I desire your love, I desire your happiness more. You will not be happy while my mother is still alive, I can assure you. I will not let her take away your happiness as she did mine."

Henry looked up at her then, shocked. "I didn't make you happy?"

Regina swiftly shook her head. "You _did_, Henry, but not in the way it's supposed to be. My problem with not being able to love properly is similar. Do you understand?"

He looked to Emma for a moment and then back to the floor. He nodded slowly. Regina closed the distance between them and spared no one else a glance, not even Emma who was watching her movements closer than even Rumplestiltskin. She lifted Henry's chin. In that moment she could see the young child she raised and a spark of a little girl she had once loved.

Regina smiled tremulously and Henry's eyes crinkled slightly before he gave her his answering one.

This time when she teleported, she used only her magic and knew the light purple smoke would provide him the sensation of her lingering love.

* * *

_No._

"Where did she go?!" Emma demanded of Gold, advancing on him quickly before being pulled back by Neal, his arms familiar and comforting.

She had _trusted_ Regina to do the right thing and the woman had, at least in her own mind. She wanted to protect Henry and to spare him, maybe even Emma, too. Emma had seen that look in Regina's eyes in her own reflection before. Regina was going to do something stupid that would have consequences for those she left behind.

Emma shrugged out of Neal's hold.

Gold swallowed slightly and for the first time, Emma noticed that he didn't look well. "To find her mother."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I have no time for your cryptic bullshit. Where is she really and what the hell kind of spell was she talking about?"

"And what kind of magic was she talking about, Father?" Neal questioned, a resigned tone to his voice. Emma sensed that he knew the answer already and there was a sick feeling her gut that she did, too.

Gold leaned heavily on his cane for a moment, as if the weight of everything was suddenly placed upon his shoulders and in a way, it was. Emma knew he was behind everything; even if her actions were her own, she was still a puppet in the games he played with everyone.

"I presume she has some sort of stronghold tucked away in Storybrooke," Gold answered, his knowledge likely due to his role as Regina's teacher and their like mindedness. "As to the Vas Gol spell, well," he hedged and glanced uncertainly at Henry who had migrated to Emma's side only after the last wisps from Regina's magic had dissipated.

"I want to know," Henry insisted and Emma laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed comfortingly.

Gold looked ashamed for a moment before deciding to continue. He kept his eyes trained on Emma for the most part but he snuck a few guilty looks at Neal. "The spell means 'empty vessel.'"

Emma took a quick intake of breath. It sounded ominous. "What's the price," she lowly asked, her fingers tightening their hold on Henry before he flinched and she drew her hands away as if burned.

"It's a highly complex spell, depicted only in a few places from our world, one of them being Cora's spell book which Regina has possession of," Gold ignored Emma's question and she felt her body begin to sweat due to nerves. "Regina, while immensely powerful in her own right, wouldn't have enough magic to perform the rite by herself."

"But she absorbed that magic from the spell you and her made to prevent Cora from returning; surely that's what she meant by the spell taking all of that magic," Snow hesitantly spoke up and Emma turned to see a conflicted look upon her mother's face.

"Yes, to do by herself, but the spell was meant to be performed by a large number of magic users," Gold said and took a deep breath. "…since the price was…costly."

"What does it do," Emma repeated between her teeth. Her heart kept pumping faster and the adrenalin was beginning to course through her veins. The urge to find Regina grew with each passing second.

"As the name implies, the victim of the spell experiences a fate worse than death."

"Like the Wraith?" David asked.

"What does that do?" Ruby meekly asked from her position beside Snow.

"That separates a soul from its body," Snow explained.

"Like a Dementor," Henry supplied and Ruby nodded in recognition.

"But the difference is that when a Wraith takes a soul, it's possible to find it and restore it to its original form," Gold pursed his lips.

Emma felt her blood run cold at the implication.

"And the spell my mom is going to use…?" Henry hedged.

"It shatters the soul, leaving the body behind. It truly destroys all a person ever was, the pieces drifting away, never to reunite."

"Damn it!" Emma burst, startling everyone.

_Damn her! Damn her, damn her, damn her!_

She would _never_ forgive Regina for this.

"That's her price, isn't it!" Emma tightly demanded.

Gold looked askance for a moment.

"That's what was going to happen anyway, wasn't it," Neal softly asked from beside Emma. She whirled on him. "The magic she absorbed was dark and full of murderous intent, right?"

"Yes, Bae," Gold murmured, chagrined. "It would have destroyed her soul, piece by piece until it destroyed her body, as well."

"So she was gonna die a hero before she lived to see herself become the villain again," Neal mused.

"She was always a villain," David insisted.

"No, she wasn't," Snow shook her had slightly and Emma could hear the tears in her voice. "Emma was right, Regina truly was changing and what she did to bring me and Emma back…we're responsible, too."

"Can we find her in time?" David questioned. He turned to Ruby. "Can you track her?"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't have anything of hers I can use to pick up her scent."

"Emma can find her."

Emma leapt at the sound of Archie's voice. She had completely forgotten he was present as well. "What do you mean," she gulped apprehensively.

Archie tilted his head. "You always said you were good at finding people."

Emma stared at him. He was right. She knew Regina better than anyone, even her mother who had spent years with the woman. Regina was far too similar to Emma but she brushed the implications aside as she concentrated on what she knew of herself.

Where would she go to feel safe? To hide from people hunting her?

It came to her quickly and she nodded to everyone and made for the door. She halted when she heard Gold call out Neal's name.

"Where are you going, Bae?"

Emma turned to see Neal facing his father. "I'm going with Emma."

"I can't lose you, too, Bae!"

Neal shook his head. "I'm not going to leave Emma again."

Emma felt her eyes and heart soften at his devotion and she turned to go out the door, trusting that he would follow her.

If he could keep up.

* * *

Regina idly stroked the fabric of one of her old Evil Queen get–ups from her old world. Sometimes she would come down here, to her sanctuary, and just reminisce, the fabrics somehow having an imprint of her memories. She had done it often for the first decade or so after she had arrived in Storybrooke but gradually the place lost its appeal. The memories down here would become too intense and she began to separate Regina the Evil Queen and Regina the Mayor of Storybrooke. She had crafted different versions of herself, the voices constantly warring in her head.

Today, however, there was only a single voice speaking to her and it frightened her because the voice was _hers_, truly hers. It was all of Regina, the bad and the good, the daughter and the mother, the woman and the child. It gave her the strength to do what she had to, for the choice she wanted to make and the one she had to were at odds with each other.

It had taken years to build up the rage she needed to try and kill Snow White herself, the love she felt for the girl was too much that it compelled her to kill the woman because the pain from her betrayal was too much, the blame that should have been solely on her mother transferred to Snow because of Regina's own weakness.

She couldn't kill her mother: it would kill her, too. The one time she had found the strength to fight against her mother, her life had begun the spiral into magic and the death of Regina herself. Her visions of killing Snow White, her descent into the abyss, all of it because she had tried to deny her mother.

"Regina."

Instantly, Regina's spine straightened and she adopted the proper posture when addressed. The snap of the change into her mother's daughter was painful and instantaneous in its submission. She turned to face her mother. There was a sadness in Cora's eyes and Regina knew somewhere, deep down, her mother was there.

"You feel for her," her mother ascertained.

"You made an airtight case against me. Anyone would believe it." Regina replied instead.

Cora shook her head. "That doesn't make the betrayal hurt any less."

Regina kept her chin aloft. "No, no it doesn't."

"I know why you tried to have me killed, Regina. I heard it all when I lay in the coffin. It's alright," Cora passionately spoke and she trembled as if she wanted to step forward and embrace Regina.

"No, I don't think it is," Regina said softly. Her mother didn't understand why it was wrong and it would help make the ensuing actions easier but no less painful.

"I'm sorry for making you marry Leopold," Cora murmured and the memories cut Regina like a knife. Every touch, every word sliced into her skin and she shook, eyes closing and she couldn't help the dip of her chin at the scenes that replayed in her mind.

"And Daniel?" Regina questioned as she returned her gaze to her mother's.

"I did it for _you_," Cora insisted, this time stepping closer. Regina flinched and she froze. "I did it to protect you. To keep from what happened to me to you. If you didn't love someone like that, they wouldn't betray you."

_What?_

Regina squinted warily at her mother. "Mother, what are you talking about?"

Cora's eyes darted to the side quickly. "Our feud with the White family goes back a long ways."

"'Our' feud?" Regina echoed incredulously.

"You look so much like her," Cora mumbled and Regina got the distinct feeling Cora wasn't talking to her anymore. "I cursed her daughter, you know, and that's why she had to die."

Regina's breath caught. "You knew Snow's mother?"

"I loved her," Cora said simply. "And she betrayed me, just as Emma has betrayed you."

Regina shook her head. "Emma and I have both betrayed each other, Mother."

"And yet you persist in trusting her!" The venom was back in Cora's voice but Regina now knew that it was a mask for the hurt underneath. "The same would have happened with that stable boy and you would have been left with nothing! At least when you married Leopold and he left you, you had _something_! You weren't left all by yourself, in the darkest reaches of the world, tossed aside by the one you cared for the most!"

Horror grasped Regina's heart in tendrils of terror. Her mother was doing all of this for _her_, because she loved Regina. She didn't want Regina to experience the same tribulations that she did.

Regina knew that she would never not love her mother.

But she knew that what she and her mother had done was wrong. So many things, done for _protection_, of self and of others; somewhere along the way, the lines got skewed and they'd done horrible things. Inflicted pain upon themselves and so many others out of some warped need for self–preservation and love for those they cared for. Their love and despair had blinded them to the truth of who they were, Regina could see that now.

Just because they had magic, it was no guarantee that they could have a happy ending.

That they could find peace.

_There is no happiness left for me in this life_.

In any time or world, perhaps.

As Regina looked at Cora, she felt the one thing she never thought she would feel for her mother: compassion. After so many years, she finally understood her mother. That didn't make things okay but Regina was planning on leaving this life with a calm in her heart, something that had eluded her for her entire life. It turned out there was something she could do to help ease the minds of those she was going to leave behind. It would be a small consolation, perhaps, but it was something she could do, something that Henry at least could remember about her.

"Let's go," she said and Cora's eyes zeroed in on her in an instant. "We are going to go find Emma, Henry and the two idiots and you are going to tell them what you told me."

Cora's eyes glazed over. "I don't think that will be necessary, Regina."

Regina whirled around to see Emma and Snow on the final steps down to her sanctuary, the latter wobbling precariously. Emma's jaw was trembling with some great emotion, be it anger or shock, Regina didn't want to know.

Regina leveled Emma with a look. "Henry had better _not_ be here. I don't want him to see me do this."

"Regina?" Cora's voice was pitifully broken and Regina's body erupted into violent shivers at the emotions it invoked in her.

There was no stopping her now; she had gone past the point of no return. Regina turned to face her mother and recoiled at the look of sheer hatred on her mother's face. She was looking at Emma.

"I will not let either of you hurt my daughter again!"

It was like slow–motion: Cora's fury causing her magic to materialize in tiny specks around her body; Snow's chin lifting in determination, Emma's dropping to her chest as her anger rose to match Cora's; the sound of foot–steps thumping closer, a far–off cry of "Mom" echoing off the walls; Cora's hand slowly curling around Regina's bicep and that was the moment the spell clicked into gear.

Cora let out an anguished howl as her soul began to be crushed. Regina was dimly aware that she had done the same thing and that Emma had doubled over but a strange sense of quiet had enveloped her. There was a warmth around her ears and she thought of fuzzy earmuffs and sleek boots leaving a crisp indent in the freshly fallen snow.

The feeling was quite nice, albeit very lonely.

Regina was starting to feel light–headed, almost a bit like she was getting tipsy. Tipsy in front of a roaring fire, blankets snug around her shoulder and a warm breeze puffing against the side of her neck.

"Regina!"

Oh.

_Emma._

Emma anchored Regina's thoughts to her. Regina was vaguely aware there was a look on Emma's face that she should know about. What was it, again?

"Stop the spell!" Emma demanded and she sounded…angry, that's it. Livid, even better, that worked well. Emma's face was livid. Regina flinched slightly as she saw a handsome man offer her a mirror, but he was all blurry and when she reached out to take the mirror, her hand clenched nothing but air.

"The Vas Gol cannot be cancelled," Cora made out between gritted teeth. Her pain seemed to stem more from Regina's betrayal of her. "Clever girl," she sounded almost proud. "You couldn't kill me because I don't have my heart. You may not have been obedient but no one could fault you your unpredictability." The barb held little bite.

Regina felt her face contort and she surmised it was trying to smile. "I'm saving us, Mother. From ourselves. And everyone, I'm finally righting the wrongs."

The slap Emma administered to Regina's face brought with it a startling recollection of punch delivered and she knew that Emma was there but Regina couldn't see her, only Graham. There was something about wolves…

"_You idiot!_" Emma hissed. "This isn't the way, it's not the right thing to do, it wasn't the best choice," she persisted and started to ramble while Regina got distracted by Snow staring at her wide–eyed, every bit the naïve child she had rescued with Ro—what was the name?

"Maybe not," Regina conceded and was pleased that Emma cut herself off to give Regina her full attention. Good girl. "But it was _my _choice."

Emma looked utterly floored.

"I'm sure you understand, dear. A life led as nothing more than a glorified puppet, under the illusion that the choices made were its own. Then, blessedly, the day comes and you can finally choose something. It matters not what the choice is about. The point is that _you_ get to make the decision and it's unequivocally yours."

Of course Emma understood. She was Regina's shadow, after all. Even her darling little Snow understood, but she shouldn't here, now. Daniel should come to take her away before the King got upset.

Emma shook her head. "I _hate_ you," and the declaration was weak at best.

Regina indulged her, anyway. "I know." The tears making tracks down Emma's cheeks made her look oh so beautiful, like a princess. Regina had always wanted to be one. Daniel had called her that. Her cheeks began to rose, she could feel it, but she began to feel guilty that she was thinking of her True Love and how they would live in their Happy Ever After when the beautiful Princess Emma was so sad. Regina couldn't stand to see someone so heartbroken.

It was like Emma didn't have someone to love anymore.

Regina pondered on that. The brilliant idea hit her. _She_ could love Emma, and Emma could love her and then Emma wouldn't be so lonely anymore. And, oh, wasn't that the most darling little boy she had ever seen by Emma's side? There was something in his eyes that reminded her of Emma, so precious and honest.

His name was Henry…that's right, Henry. She remembered him and she would always, far longer than forever.

Emma was still crying and Regina felt her heart go out to the woman. Surely a woman as kind and gentle as Emma shouldn't be sad. She should go to her.

Regina reached for Emma and her surprise brought life to her face, a hint of happiness to her eyes. She extended a hand to grasp for Regina's but a terrible wave of pain hammered into Regina's skull and she stumbled into Emma's hand.

The hand that bypassed her chest cavity and rested firmly around her heart. Regina seized in terror as she remembered her mother doing the same thing countless times…to Daniel…and Regina doing it to Graham…to _Emma_…

Billions of memories reconvened in the front of Regina's mind but the pain was numbed by the feeling of Emma's hand on her heart. It was radiating with Emma's magic and emotions Regina refused to think about because if she thought about them, she would feel her own emotions and Emma would be able to tell. If Emma knew, it would only make things worse.

"…you can't leave me," Emma whimpered and Regina knew it was too late.

Regina clasped her hand around Emma's forearm as she began to withdraw her hand, halting the movement. "That won't save me, Emma."

Emma bit her lip. "I'm the Saviour," and the disdain was barely disguised.

"Some people can't be saved. Don't want to," Regina said and it was a futile lie.

"Liar," Emma snarled and her rage bounced off Regina's heart. There were a million broken shards around it, making it so Regina couldn't feel much of anything anymore.

It was getting cold.

"It's too late for me, Emma," Regina softly said instead.

Emma shook her head fiercely and with each bounce of her hair, Regina could see it curl and straighten in staggered waves. "No it's not, not when I believe in you. It worked with Henry, I believed him and things worked out, they will here."

Regina dimly wondered if Emma's solution was to kiss her.

"You can be saved and you _want_ to," Emma continued and she laid her other hand on top of Regina's and flinched when she felt the frost emanating off Regina. She clenched her jaw and gripped Regina's hand tightly.

She would likely contract frostbite.

"Even if you leave me, I'll return to you," Emma swore and it was the type of foolish promise her parents would make.

Regina hadn't the heart left to harass Emma about it, nor the time left to explain to her the futility of the promise. Her memories were draining rapidly and her mind was fragmented, fragile. There was a sort of need to…Henry…Emma…

Regina's heart began to slow its pace.

There wasn't anything she could say to Emma, the stubborn fool she was. She would persist in searching for Regina whether or not Regina said something kind or harsh, truth or lies. Emma would be angry, she would be forlorn and even those wouldn't be enough to deter her from her single–mindedness. There had to be _something_ she could do for Emma, though, something for Emma to focus on, something more important than wasting her life trying to find something (_someone_) who no longer existed.

Regina had done that before.

The tips of Regina's fingers brushed at Emma's fluttering eyelashes and felt the warmth of Emma's tears. "Take care of Henry. He won't understand but he'll have you, at least."

"Regina," Emma choked out as more of her tears washed Regina's fingers, almost absolving them.

"Forget what I said before," Regina tried to add a lofty tone to her words. "You will do great because you two love each other."

She laid her palm fully against Emma's cheek and there was a spark of Emma's magic that ignited something in her heart, far, far away, a flicker of something indefinable.

The memories drained from her and a darkness clouded her vision as Emma made a strangled cry, her body curling in at her chest.

"I trust you."


	3. Hope

**I Believed In You**

**(Hope)**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Once Upon a Time_ or any characters within. This is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended for profit. Lines from the film _Hook_ are not mine. The poem contained within, _Salvatorul lui căutare/The Saviour's Search_, however, **is** mine. The language is Romanian. There are several quotes by other people used in this story that are not mine.

**Summary: **(Swan Fire/Thief, Swan Queen) Emma knew that just because you believed in something didn't make it true. Regina knew that just because you wanted to believe in something didn't make it real. But they both did anyway. (Post Cricket Game; Cora's return to Regina; weakness and belief. A tale of belief, trust and hope.)

**Chapter Note: **Contains spoilers for the episode 2.12, In the Name of the Brother. Quotes are not exact. Assumption that Neal is Baelfire. Contains Cora and Eva backstory. Assumption Rumplestiltskin is Regina's biological father. Regina has perished. **Contains strong language and possible trigger warnings. Dark themes for the beginning portions of the story.**

**Author's Note: **This story was written so that it may be viewed in three different ways: You may see each chapter as an 'official' ending. One can be viewed by itself, two as a continuation and ending to one, and the upcoming final part as the ending to all three. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your support for this story. I had a lot of difficulty composing this part, and you're in for a long read. I hope that this part will live up to the expectations I had for the previous two installments, and that you may enjoy it as I have come to. Please keep in mind what kind of place Emma is in as you read this story, as well as the concept of the Five Stages of Grief. There are a lot of questions and I've done my best to answer them throughout this part, but, if you need any further clarification, feel free to PM me on or message me on my Tumblr account. This story contains a lot of spiritual concepts and may be difficult to follow, as such, words are used deliberately and are interchanged according to the viewpoints of the characters. The alternative theme for this chapter is 'Choice.' Thanks to for the suggestion and to Queen Nana and Writer-Monkey-Esq for some inspirational conversations. I truly hope this ending will satisfy all of you.

All my love.

This story was inspired by a Tumblr post by **fakeplasticlovely**:

_It's interesting that Emma losing faith in Regina is what truly broke her._

* * *

"_I trust you."_

"…but you still left me," fell from Emma's lips, the chapped surfaces clapping together waking her with each movement. She blinked blearily, bringing a hand to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"Hey, there you are," Neal's voice sounded and Emma dimly perceived him from under her lashes. There was a dulled sensation to her movements, the time needed to gather her bearings much too long. She looked down to see herself on a bed that is far too large to have been located in Mary Margaret's apartment. The clothes she's wearing…aren't the same.

Emma put a hand to her forehead.

"What do you mean by that?" She finally managed to ask and scrunched her eyelids shut in hopes the pain would help clear her head.

"_Regina! Regina! I'm not kidding! Get your ass up!" Emma began to shake Regina's shoulders, the body icy to the touch and too limp to contain the necessary amount of bones the human skeletal structure required. _

"_Emma! Stop!"_

"_Mom!?"_

_There were too many voices screaming at Emma, distracting her. Regina had just passed out, that was all._

_Regina knew how painful it was to be abandoned, especially after someone told you that they believed in you. _

_She wouldn't do that to Emma—Henry._

"You've been out of it for days," Neal answered lightly and Emma turned her gaze to him. He had never looked so serious and Emma knew he wasn't talking about sleep.

"How long?" Emma grunted as she struggled to sit up. Everything felt fuzzy, similar to when she suffered from a head cold. There was an ache somewhere deep inside her that followed her movements like a shadow.

"That kind of thing happens to everyone, it's nothing to be ashamed about," Neal began to move closer to her.

Anger flared hot and fast inside Emma. "I asked how long!" She snarled. There was a loud crackle in the air and Emma could begin to feel her arms quake with the restraint she needed to prevent herself from…

"_What the hell are you doing?!" Emma demanded as her parents wrapped their arms around her and began to drag her away from Regina's listless husk. "Let me go to her!" She began to jerk her body in every way she knew to break free of holds but if she escaped one set of arms, the other pair responded in kind, tightening their hold until the other set recovered._

_Henry took tiny steps toward the shell of his mother on the floor. "Mom…?" He dropped to his knees, spine arching forward so he was hovering over Regina. His hands were shaking. "…please wake up…"_

_The broken words falling from her son's mouth unraveled the rage the coiled around Emma's heart. Her body relaxed in her parents' embrace. Snow took the opportunity to bury her head into Emma's shoulder and Emma wondered why the tears she shed were so cold._

Neal halted his advance. "Seven days. Emma, what do you remember?"

There was a loud pop as Emma bunched her fingers together to form fists and she could _feel_ the magic dancing around her hands. "If I remembered, I wouldn't be asking, now would I?" A low rumble was caught in her chest and in that moment she could see just how easy it would be to shut this fool up. He glanced at her and down to her fists, a flash of fear flitting across his face.

_Good_.

Instead of remaining silent, this _idiot_ folded his arms and spoke down to her. "Is that really you talking, Emma?"

Emma's fingers itched with the urge to throttle him. Her nails dug deeply into the skin, pain sparking in her mind even as the blood began to blossom in her palm and eke out the edges of her fingers.

_She had watched with a muted concentration the movements of the people around her. Her mother continued to weep into her shoulder as Gold and Neal descended the steps to the sanctuary. They headed straight for Regina, Henry still frozen at her side. He looked up at the two men, his expression like that of a lost puppy._

_What's that look? It was like he lost someone to love._

_A crippling emptiness gnawed at Emma until she hunched under the strain. Snow took the opportunity to wrap her arms more tightly around Emma, David bending down to lend a comforting presence. Theirs was the warmth of a family that Emma had spent her nights and waking moments imagining._

_Still she felt nothing. _

_Neal had taken Henry by the shoulders and turned him so that Henry curled into his embrace. Gold, however, had remained stiff as he looked over Regina. Emma was sure he was alternating between glancing between Regina and Cora who had managed to drag herself near Regina._

_Emma could remember the moment the spell activated and the crushing blow it delivered to her chest. _

_It wasn't as bad as when the spell ended, though. _

_That __**nothingness**__, bleak and consuming, was far worse._

_Whereas, if she were the Emma from even a few minutes ago, Emma would have raised a commotion when Gold gingerly lowered himself to kneel near Regina's head and the tips of his fingers moved as if to rake themselves through her hair but he halted himself just shy of doing so._

"_That's not yours," Snow threatened lowly._

_Gold turned to look at her and a part of Emma wished she could enjoy the pain on his face._

"_You lost that right when you willingly molded her into a monster, all so you could find your son," Snow gripped Emma tightly, her embrace nearly suffocating. Emma couldn't find it in herself to care. "You couldn't cast the Curse yourself so you made sure the next best thing could."_

"_The choices are all ours to make, Snow White, and you'd do well to remember that," Gold responded in a tired voice. _

"…_even when the choice isn't a choice at all…" Emma murmured and it caught the attention of everyone._

_Gold steeled his jaw as he gazed at Emma. "Those are the most important ones of all," he said._

_There was a dim echo inside of Emma's mind at the statement, one that must have chilled everyone present with their own memories. _

"_Dad, can you put them in stasis?" Neal asked at length. Emma tilted her head to observe him. "You can make them coffins, too, right?"_

"_She's not dead," Henry weakly insisted, his gaze still locked on Regina as if he couldn't tear his eyes away._

_Was he afraid that she would disappear?_

_But she already had, Emma told herself. Regina had vanished before her body gave out, everything that made her Regina vanishing piece by piece like the grains of a heart turned to ash._

_Neal lowered himself so he could look Henry in the eyes, just like Regina used to, Emma noted dimly. "She's lost, Henry, and until we can find her, we need to keep her safe. You get what I'm saying?"_

_Henry nodded and Emma bristled._

"_Until we can find her?" Emma voiced incredulously and it surprised her how realistic it sounded. "The spell __**obliterated**__ her and that woman at their very cores," she flopped a hand in Cora's direction. "It's cruel to give him false hope, Neal. If Regina wanted to stay, she would have. She left us when we needed her the most…I guess that runs in the family," she sneered._

_The facial expressions that were shown to her contained a mixture of shock, disappointment and something indefinable. Henry was the one who spoke first, predictably and with the ever ready answer to all his troubles. "But you're the Saviour! If anyone can save Mom, it's…"_

"…_not me!" Emma ripped her body away from her parents' embrace. "I've told you, Henry! I've __**never**__ wanted to be the Saviour!"_

_Her hands were cold._

_Henry stood his ground and Emma was nearly impressed by his resolve. "You believed in me and it saved my life. My mom believed in me and she saved your life. If you believe you can find her, you will. You both have believed in me." There was a confident assurance in his stature and, even though he was still in Neal's arms, he was set apart from Neal, from everyone, who was lost in their pain. "Now it's __**my**__ turn."_

Just like that, the fight drained out of Emma and she returned to the state she had been stuck in for two weeks. "…not me."

Neal, like always, knew it was safe to approach Emma once more and he lowered himself next to her on the bed. The usual heat fom his body so close to hers was absent. "Okay," he said and Emma was grateful that was his response. He continued to sit patiently next to her, noting the red streaks across her hands but being wise enough not to grasp them.

It would be unfair of her to give her pain to him.

"…I was always looking in the mirror, thinking that each time I looked I wouldn't see what I felt," she admitted as she unfurled her fingers and let the back of her hand graze Neal's. His turned instantly, the invitation clear.

"And what was that?"

Emma placed her hand in his and the memory of comfort filtered through her mind. "Haunted. There's a blank look in my eyes, Neal, a permanent shadow hanging over every action. Every touch or kiss I give is like a ghost. I remember what it _should _be like, but it never is."

Neal nodded. "So you got desperate to feel something."

Emma felt herself grow sick as the memories flooded her. "I'm the Sherriff here, Neal."

He laughed outright before schooling his features into a more fitting expression, but Emma could see the amusement in the lines framing his mouth.

"Still not funny," she reminded him before growing somber. "Neal, I assaulted you."

"Pretty much," he affirmed but gripped her hand gently when she tried to pull away.

Emma kept their eyes locked for a long moment. "I'm sorry."

"I know it wasn't you," he said softly. "That doesn't make it okay, though."

Emma nodded slightly as the image of her trying to force herself on Neal played in her head. She remembered the desperate urge to feel something, _anything_, plaguing her for days until she lost what little she was hanging on to and stormed over to Gold's house to find Neal. Emma thought if she could just recreate a time where she was happy, she would feel it again. Somehow. Neal, however, had instantly sensed something was off and pushed her away. She kept trying to reinitiate but he avoided her and began talking about something Emma couldn't recall but Regina's name rang out and it had drained her instantly, causing her to collapse on the bed.

"Hey."

The sound of Neal's voice pulled Emma out of her thoughts. He brought his free hand up to caress her cheek and for a fleeting second Emma was comforted.

"What you did wasn't okay, but I still love you, so I forgive you. You're sorry and I accept that and we can work on things together, the right way, this time," he smiled at her. "Now that you've come back to us, why don't you go home and see Henry? He invited me over to come watch a movie with you guys but I think maybe you and him just need some time together right now."

Neal placed a chaste kiss on her lips and as Emma responded, she couldn't help feeling that it was a goodbye.

* * *

When Emma stepped into the apartment, something snapped in her. This was an action she had done countless times before but there was something about the simple action that momentarily reinvigorated her. Her parents had Henry sandwiched between their arms as they sat on the couch, quietly laughing at whatever was playing on the television. Something about the scene stirred something inside of Emma, the vision like a piece of art she had longed to experience in real life. They looked up when Emma closed the door, the only outward indicator of her silent arrival.

"Hey, Mom," Henry called out with a smile. "You look better."

Emma felt her lips twitch upwards. "Thanks, kid." Her parents exchanged a look and picked themselves up off the couch.

"Well, we'll leave you two…to it," David stumbled over the words and Snow giggled at him before fondly backhanding his shoulder. "Goodnight," and he looked as if he wanted to step forward to hug Emma but seemed to think better of it and Emma was glad he didn't have to witness her recoil from the action. Snow gave her a soft look before ushering him up the stairs.

Emma felt a sense of trepidation as Henry continued to gaze at her steadily from his position on the couch. He smiled and lifted up the blanket draped across his lap in silent invitation. Emma accepted and made her way to his side and the feeling of him snuggling up to her side instantly flickered something in her heart.

He felt a little warm.

"What are we watching?"

Henry fiddled with the remote for a moment, the screen going dark for a moment before filling with colour once more. "'Hook.' I don't think Neal's going to come over and watch with us tonight, is he?"

Emma pulled her head back. Henry only gave her one of those frowny–smiles that Regina used. The sight instantly placated her and she brought her arm up and around his shoulders as the movie started.

Emma kept thinking about the reason that Henry wanted to watch this particular film. He had always been so invested in The Book that it didn't surprise her that he liked the movie but it contained a rather different viewpoint than those portrayed in typical fairytales. It was darker, a story about growing up and then about reclaiming the lost part of yourself.

She felt herself relax a little.

The film had gone on for awhile and Emma allowed her mind to zone out and just enjoy the moment with her son when a line caught her attention.

"' Who wouldn't save us...'"

"_Some people can't be saved."_

"'Who **couldn't** save you, Jack.'"

"…_that won't save me, Emma."_

Emma chanced a glance at Henry who looked to be deeply engrossed in the exchange.

"'Well, he - he wouldn't. And he didn't even try. He was there and we were there and he wouldn't try.'"

"_It's too late for me, Emma."_

'"Jack... he will try. And the question will be: When the time comes, do you want to be saved? Now, don't you answer now. No, no, no, no, no. Now it's time to be whatever you want to be. Put behind you any thoughts of home; that place of broken promises.'"

"_Even if you leave me, I'll return to you."_

There was something chilling about those words, something that tickled the back of Emma's mind and she found herself unable to concentrate on the film properly after that scene. Henry didn't seem to mind her confusion, but instead helped her upstairs and into bed and spread the blanket over her shivering form. He laid a reverent kiss to her cheek.

* * *

_Unde esti?_

_Where are you?_

_Le bacla se recupera raului regina_

_The Swan shall reclaim the Evil Queen_

_I se execută pentru sfârşitul lumil pentru a-ti dovedi nu suntem singuri_

_I shall run to the end of the world to show you we're not alone_

_Pentru că sînt doar o parte din tine nu te vezi_

_Because I'm the only part of you; you don't see_

_AM nevoie pentr__u a merge la tine astfel încât arată-mi calea_

_I need to go to you so show me the path_

_Ai inima ta? Şi în viraj, al meu?_

_Have you left your heart? And in turn, mine?_

_I aminte de noi, de ce nu?_

_I remember us, so why don't you?_

* * *

Emma shook her head as the strange words crawled out from somewhere in her heart. She opened her eyes and let out a little sigh as she found herself in the familiar darkness that engulfed her dreams ever since Regina…

She frowned. She could have sworn she heard 'Regina' in that whisper of a song.

The night Regina had left the world behind…Emma had found herself exhausted constantly and would always dream of darkness. For ages she would walk through her dreams, never chancing upon anything, no colour, no sounds…it was like a void where there once was life.

Emma resigned herself to another night of aimless wandering and stepped forward and immediately jumped back upon hearing a telling crunch underneath her feet. Cautiously, she lifted her right foot to look underneath it and felt her heart give a leap when she saw broken shards of glass. She raised her head so fast she heard her neck snap. Emma was now in a room that was predictably cloaked in shadows but there was a chandelier above her head, tattered shreds of cloth draped across it. Emma turned to her left and saw the wall covered in shards of glass, the backs of mirrors peeking through. What was most interesting was a large frame nestled in the wall, almost as if it were an extension of the room itself.

The frame had most certainly housed an exquisite painting, Emma could tell that as she made her way to inspect it closer. Bits of the original work were hanging loose and some were missing entirely. Whereas the room looked respectably ransacked, this portrait bore the evidence of a violence that was wild and vicious. One could never tell with glass the anger behind its breaking but with this portrait…Emma felt a deep pain even looking upon it. She raised a hand to try and join two pieces together so she could see what the painting once was.

_Cold._

Emma yanked her hand back as the thought sounded in her head. She looked around the room quickly. It was almost like another voice had joined hers and spoke the word aloud. After a few tense seconds, Emma gingerly pressed one finger against the portrait.

_Cold_.

Frowning, Emma retracted her finger. She stared at the portrait. There was something about it that danced inside her mind, a memory just out of reach. It looked like a woman, the long lashes and bronze skin taunting her inside the frame. She turned to look around the room to see if there were any more clues and saw another portrait to her right. Emma turned around and saw two more frames on the opposite wall.

Emma walked over to the closest portrait. There was definitely something about this woman that Emma recognized. The previous portrait had a dark background as did this one, but there was something just a bit lighter about it. There was a distant quality to what was left of the woman's expression, almost as if she didn't quite know how to feel.

Emma shuddered at the thought, an unpleasant recognition of her own behaviour. She poked at the picture.

_Empty._

That made sense.

Emma crossed the room and crossed her arms at the new portrait. This one was infinitely brighter than the others, a warm glow to it and Emma wondered if it was also warm to the touch. There was something youthful to the chocolate eyes painted there, a gentle quality to them that few retained throughout life. Emma could almost imagine what it would take to break those and the thought sickened her. She brought the back of her hand to the portrait.

_Tender._

A memory of a show from her childhood caused Emma to snort at the word. She immediately hunched her shoulders and peeked around her, as if expecting a reprimand. The feeling lingered as she walked to stand in front of the last frame. Unlike the others, this one was completely blank. It wasn't ripped or damaged in any discernible way. Emma placed a palm flat against it.

Emma waited.

Nothing answered nor came to mind. Emma pulled her hand back and used it to scratch her head. She turned around and stumbled over her own feet in her surprise.

There was a bed in the middle of the room, and a figure lying on its side in the center of it. Emma's breath quickened and she hastily made her way to the bed only to stop herself short at its edge.

"Regina…?" Emma hesitantly called out.

Regina's body was curled on its side, her right arm reaching out toward the side of the bed Emma was standing by. Emma lowered herself to look closer at Regina. She looked the same as she had that day but was now clothed in a black loose–fitting gown. It looked silky to Emma and she brushed a hand against Regina's back and recoiled from the cold seeping from Regina's body.

Just like _that day_.

Regina wasn't breathing, nor giving any other signs of life. Emma placed a hand on Regina's shoulder and shook hard but the body simply rolled with the movements before returning to its original position. Defeated, Emma sat down on the bed next to Regina, her back to the woman.

"You were wrong, you know," she whispered as she looked at the portrait instead of the body behind her. They must be paintings of Regina. "…about Henry. He sorta understands, but I don't think he gets it the way you wanted us…_him_…to. He still thinks I can find you and save you. Well, none of this makes sense, but I guess I found you," she wryly smiled and twisted her body to look down at the woman. She looked as if she were merely asleep instead of…missing. "But that's not what you were wrong about. He didn't have _me_. Something happened after you used that spell, Regina, something _hurt_," Emma said and brought a hand to her chest, the abiding numbness giving way to the acute pain of the memory.

_A void in her heart…._

Emma gasped. She had heard that line somewhere before…"The Book!" She exclaimed out loud. "That was your price for the Curse, I remember reading about it! Does that mean I'm cursed?" Emma looked down at Regina. The woman hadn't cursed her, of that Emma was certain. Perhaps Gold could tell her more? Emma felt something stir in her for the first time in days and bounced off the bed and was about to force herself to wake up when she glanced back at Regina one last time. The wind created by her movements must have shifted the hair into Regina's eyes.

Emma returned to Regina and stooped down to brush Regina's hair back.

* * *

Snow and Henry started chattering away at Emma as she descended the steps into the kitchen but she paid them no heed as she shrugged into a thick coat and began to run out of the apartment. She knew they would follow her because she was _theirs_.

Emma made record time to Gold's pawn shop, not caring that she violated many traffic laws in doing so. She ignored the sign on the door and flung it open to reveal Neal and Gold glaring at each other from across the counter. They turned as one to face Emma.

"You," she pointed to Gold, "are going to tell me how I can bring Regina back."

Gold looked taken aback. "The spell destroyed the very fabric of her being, Miss Swan."

"No, it didn't," Emma shook her head. "I _found_ her."

Neal smiled at her and looked over her shoulder as the bell to the door chimed and her family crowded in behind her.

"Wait, what? I thought Regina was gone for good," David said.

"I knew you could do it, Mom," Henry very nearly chirped with happiness. Emma felt her lips twitch a bit.

"How is that possible?" Snow asked.

Emma looked down at her hands, turning her palms up so she could see the cuts she had dug into her skin with her own nails slowly healing. "Magic," she answered her mother.

"You must have grabbed a piece of Regina's soul when you touched her heart," Gold speculated but when Emma looked up at him, she could sense he was only playing at confusion. Something told her the oily bastard knew _exactly_ what was going on and she would make him tell her and she'd…

"That doesn't mean that Emma _has_ to bring Regina back, though," David asserted and he crossed his arms against the scowl he received from Emma. "And if Emma used magic, there's a price involved and she shouldn't have to pay anything for Regina. She can just leave Regina as she is…it was her choice to die, after all."

A white–hot wave of anger coursed through Emma's veins and she felt alive. "Instead of telling me what to do, why don't you try to make up for tossing me into a wardrobe and just _be there _for me!?"

David looked wounded. "Emma, you know why we did it."

Emma was about to retort when Gold cleared his throat and she whirled imperiously to face him, daring him to cower. Of course, he did no such thing. "Emma has already started to pay the price. I'm sure you've all noticed that Emma has finally started to…exist again. She's no longer just an empty shell. She's as lost as Regina is, and their hearts are connected. In order for Emma to truly become herself again, she must restore Regina."

_What the hell…._

"So Emma has no choice in the matter…?" Snow brokenly asked, her eyes growing wide.

"That's not quite true," Gold shrugged.

"And just what you mean by that?" David demanded. "Because from where I'm standing, it doesn't look like it."

Gold gave Emma a half–smile. "_You_ made the choice, dearie. Your magic activated to give you your wish and it's _your_ handprint on Regina's heart."

"What does he mean by that?" Henry turned a questioning eye to Emma.

"Emma used magic on Regina," Snow haltingly began.

"I didn't _mean_ to," Emma insisted as she looked at her son. "Regina fell and, I don't know, I guess it just happened. It was like when she took my heart, but I didn't take hers," she affirmed.

_Liar._

"Whether or not you choose to use your magic to pursue the fragments of Regina, the fact remains that you are the only one capable of doing so," Gold looked to the side and Emma tried to follow his gaze but was unable to discern his expression. "The pieces are calling to you, aren't they, Miss Swan?"

Emma drew back with a snarl. "You tell me what you know or so help me I'll end you," she growled.

Gold laughed coldly, unfazed by Emma's threat. "And just _why_ should I? I don't owe you any favours and frankly, dearie, I'm rather hurt by your threats." There was a sneer that developed on his face that made Emma's blood crawl. "So like _Regina_…"

"You'll be more than hurt by the time I'm done with you!" Emma roared and she lunged for that disgusting little shit who finally seemed to understand that she was the fucking Saviour and she could rid the whole world of whatever she desired if only she wished it but his stupid son, that traitor of a lover, blocked her path and shoved her backwards to her useless parents who abandoned her and _her_ stupid son who thought she could do anything, who was raised by a monster who she still wanted to save…

…She did, didn't she…?

The rage drained out of her as quickly as it had appeared and Emma hung her head for a moment. She had never felt such quick anger before as she had in the last day. Not even when she was furious with Regina when the woman was being such a flaming _bitch_ had Emma felt this unadulterated fury. Gold had said they were connected now, like there was a part of Regina in Emma. Did the understanding she have for Regina start to affect her? Was that part of Regina taking control of her own heart?

_No! My heart belongs to __**me!**_

Emma recalled the bleakness of the room she dreamt of. Perhaps it wasn't a dream at all, maybe her magic had taken over her mind and brought her to a place inside her heart, the area that a part of Regina resided. Were the paintings symbolic of the parts of Regina she had to find? Maybe that's why the place was ruined…what if she wasn't in _her_ heart but _Regina's_? Their connection became two–fold when Emma reached into Regina's chest to grasp at her heart…The magic inside of her must have known that was its only shot at saving Regina.

Regina said that the action of taking her heart wouldn't save her but it had connected them on a level too intimate for Emma to even comprehend. Or was it something else that happened when she reached for Regina's heart? Emma remembered that moment when Regina held her captive and was about to crush her heart. That whole exchange with Regina…it didn't happen in reality…was it a conversation in their hearts…?

Emma's head began to pound and she groaned with the effort to remain standing. Immediately her family convened at her side, physically and emotionally supporting her. "What's going on?" Snow asked and looked from Emma to Gold.

"Dad, you may not owe Emma, but you do owe me," Neal stated softly, a fierce determination in his eyes. "…_and_ Regina."

For a moment Gold appeared to be struggling with his response before caving into Neal. Emma grinned at how easily he folded. "Miss Swan's magic is activating without her consent, and when she tries to fight against what her magic is trying to accomplish, it has negative consequences on her body. It will take a toll on her, even if she learns how to control it," Gold explained.

"What's it trying to do?" Henry inquired.

A sliver of humanity flitted across Gold's face before it was replaced by a neutral expression. "Find Regina."

"The spell was supposed to break a soul into millions of pieces…it would take a long a time to find them all," David mused aloud and rubbed a hand across Emma's shoulders.

No, it wouldn't, because they wanted to return, Regina wanted to be saved, she wanted _Emma_ to save her, Emma knew that. She thought of the portraits of Regina lining the room in…Regina's heart…they were three different representations of her, and they had all called out to her in Regina's voice. Maybe if she inspected them, used her magic on them, they'd restore Regina.

"What are the pieces like? Will Emma be able to recognize them?" Snow fired off her questions in quick succession and Emma felt a dull sort of surprise at the hint of desperation laced in them.

"Emma will know," Gold answered. "She probably already does and that's why the magic is flaring up. It knows where to go and what to do. The pieces of Regina's soul are everything that made her _Regina_. Her memories and experiences, feelings…"

"…which is what is happening to me," Emma finished. "I'm feeling what I'm searching for."

Snow gasped. "So you're feeling what the Evil Queen felt? Is that why you've been so tense?"

_Broken._

_Damaged._

_Deranged._

"A lesser heart would have succumbed to such a powerful soul as Regina's," Gold sounded thoroughly intrigued and Emma sneered at him before he got any funny ideas about dissecting her heart or picking her brain for answers. "The more of Regina's soul is returned to her, the less influence they hold over Miss Swan."

Henry moved in front of Emma and her confusion magnified when he frowned at her. "If she felt like this all the time, it must have been really hard for her to try to change."

Emma felt her stomach plummet. When her son continued to look up at her, for just a brief, fleeting second, she felt herself return in its entirety and she hugged him fiercely, rocking back and forth together as if the movement would calm her. The gush of love that flooded her heart caught her off –guard and she coveted it.

She pulled away from Henry, the gesture in sync with her feelings. "I won't stop searching for her, Henry."

His eyes lit up and he looked back to Snow who had a muted look of happiness on her face. "Grandma! Tell Emma what you told me!"

Snow's smile became more real. "Emma, Henry and I have been trying to find a way to help you and Regina and we were going through The Book. We didn't find anything but Henry was convinced there had to be something somewhere to help us, since every curse can be broken. Last night I remembered a story my mother used to tell me. She had a book." Snow's gaze was unwavering as she looked at Emma and something in that look sent a jolt through Emma. "It was called 'The Saviour's Search.' If we can find that book, maybe it can help you."

David didn't appear too happy about the news, but apparently he took Emma's words to heart and nodded his support. "Do you have it?" He asked of Gold.

Gold smiled smugly. "It just so happens that I do. Miss Swan, if you would follow me," he turned without waiting for her consent and slipped into the back of his shop. Emma immediately tromped after him. When she joined him he already had a small chest sitting on his workbench and indicated to Emma that she should open it. She lifted the lid to reveal a weathered book. As her fingers touched it, her body shook with the influx of magic that activated within her. She tore open the cover to reveal emerald–coloured embossed words, just like on the cover.

"What the hell does it say?" She demanded. "It's nothing but gibberish."

Gold shook his head and his expression became sombre. "It's anything but that, Miss Swan. You may not understand the words as they are written but your heart does. Touch it," he insisted.

Warily, Emma pressed the flat of her hand against the page. Immediately, her head was flooded with strange words in a myriad of voices but the power she felt was immense. "What happened?"

"Your magic was bolstered by that book," Gold explained. "It will help guide you on your search for the essence of Regina and will help curb the side–effects of your magic and will help you learn to control it."

Emma leveled him with a look. "So what's the _real _price for bringing Regina back?"

Gold stared at her for a long moment and where it may have made Emma feel uncomfortable before, there was now a sense of confidence that bolstered her. "Even being the Saviour doesn't excuse you from having to pay the price," Gold whispered. "Perhaps because your magic is that born of True Love, but your prices will always be steep, damaging in a way even dark magic isn't. You're restoring a Happy Ending. Think about what that means."

Things suddenly made a lot more sense to Emma.

"And to restore Regina will take a long time," Gold cautioned. "Even if you spent your entire day searching for her, there will be no quick way to bring her back."

Emma remembered how long it took to bring _herself_ back, to restore that which was lost in her. "I don't care how long it takes. I _will_ bring Regina back."

"What about Cora? If you believe Regina can be saved, why not her?"

Emma bristled. "It's that damn woman's fault that this is even happening! I don't give a _shit _about Cora."

Gold shrewdly eyeballed her. "What about Regina?"

Emma started trembling. "_Regina_ doesn't get to have a say in what I do. She said she believed in me and trusted me and then she _left_ me! I'm through with letting people do that to me!"

Gold's face was a mixture of pain and anger. "Just like how your parents left you? And how you gave up Henry?"

"Don't you dare lecture me about being a parent!" Emma menacingly slammed her hands down on the workbench. "Out of everyone here, _Regina_ was the only one who knew what it was like to be a parent and _stayed _with her child! I gave Henry up so he could have the things and life I didn't—I did it for _love_—"

…_and because she was afraid, so very much…_

"You abandoned Neal _and_ Regina. So don't talk to me about love because what kind of person grooms their child to be a monster and then just _lets_ her kill herself!?"

"You think I _wanted_ her to die!?" Gold demanded and his fury matched Emma's every bit.

"Why else would you let her march off to commit suicide?" She snidely asked.

"Regina was _never _supposed to die," Gold's voice trembled and Emma saw a man. Not Gold or The Dark One but a broken shard of a person who had everything taken from them, by fate and by choice. For one second she saw the humanity in the person before her. "She was dying; you know that."

"You could have found some way to drain that magic—"

"I couldn't!" He cried in frustration and turned from her. There was a silence broken only by his heavy breathing. "She took it, _knowing_ what it'd do to her. For she believed and trusted in Henry, something I couldn't do with Bae. My own daughter….The one I've done horrible things to for the slim chance that she could lead me to my lost boy and make up for my failure. When she took the magic I realized that she had surpassed me and did all that I couldn't do. My pride was swallowed by my own anger in myself. She did when she didn't have anyone love and believe in her as strongly as Belle did in me…"he trailed off, obviously thinking about the woman in the hospital who no longer was able to remember the life and love they had shared.

Emma found a new sense of respect for Regina. To hear it from that perspective…She still thought Gold to be a worthless crumb of a man but she had begun to have a new view of the world, thanks to her feelings for… "This is your chance, then."

Gold turned to her with a look of confusion. "What?"

"A fresh start. To be all that Belle believed you to be."

Gold seemed to contemplate this.

Emma turned to go back to her family.

"Miss Swan?" She looked back at him. "Regina did it for you, too."

"_Welcome back."_

"Well, I'm working on doing the same for her."

"…You already have."

Emma faced him fully. "What do you mean?

"I think you know." Exasperated, Emma rolled her head. Gold's face suddenly lit up as if something had just occurred to him. "Give me a moment, Miss Swan." He shuffled over to a nearby shelf and rummaged through it for several moments before turning back to face her. A necklace fashioned of a thin, very fine gold chain with a translucent snowflake charm was draped over his finger. He offered his hand to her. "Something that may come in handy," was all he said on the subject.

* * *

_Cioburile pretutindeni; ele gun__oiul în spaţiu în inima mea în care locuiţi_

_Broken shards everywhere; they litter in the space in my heart where you reside_

_Spatele ca dispare ... incerc sa o prinda din urma_

_The back that fades away…I try to catch up_

_Opţiunile dvs. ne chinuie atât_

_Your choices haunt us both_

_Este întunericul tot ce rămâne?_

_Is your darkness all that remains?_

_Ai neglijat cel mai preţios o parte din tine, blocat în propria dvs. de razbunare_

_You've neglected the most precious part of you, locked inside by your own vengeance_

_Nu vreau sa-I gasesc; sa ma infurie faptul ca inca doresc pentru a vă elibera_

_I don't want to find you; it angers me that I still wish to free you_

_Dar în sa-si dea seama ca în economisind, I ma salvez, călătoriei mele continuă, restabilirea __mea credinta_

_But in realizing that in saving you, I save myself, my journey continues, my faith restored_

_Dacă inima mea ne aminteşte, de ce nu a ta?_

_If my heart remembers us, why doesn't yours?_

* * *

Emma fiddled with the necklace Gold had given her while she sat in bed, the book resting on her lap. Her mother was unable to translate the words either, the memories of the story faded so she couldn't give a helpful summary of what it entailed. Henry wanted to take the book and type the words into Google to see if he could get a translation but Emma denied the idea, frightened of what the words may really mean. He'd likely swipe the book from her to do it anyway and the image made her grin.

Her parents and Henry had gone over ideas with Emma and they had agreed that since Emma didn't have a great handle on her magic she should only try to search for Regina when she slept. The magic apparently activated automatically then whether she wanted it to or not. Hopefully things would stay dull in Storybrooke but it was Emma's life so she highly doubted that it would go as planned.

She felt the sleep tug at the back of her eyelids and snuggled more into her bed and closed her eyes. It was like snapping a photograph: a moment in her time was captured and stilled. The shift from reality to…Regina–land or whatever it was called…was instantaneous and pretty damn weird to Emma. The room was just the way she had left it. Her mother had intimated that Emma was feeling more of 'The Evil Queen' so Emma headed straight for that portrait that screamed 'Cold' to her.

Emma knew she wouldn't care for what would greet her when she stumbled upon the memories of the Evil Queen. The dreadful things that were talked about in the book surely weren't the worst crimes Regina had committed. Emma had never done anything to match the level of the atrocities that Regina had done but that didn't make them any less wrong.

Henry had given her a chance when he learned of some of the less than savoury things Emma had done. She was determined to do the same for Regina— she had viewed the woman Regina was becoming and that alone would make this delve into darkness worth it.

Emma inclined her head so she was facing Regina lying in repose on the bed. "Hey, Regina. This is gonna suck, as I'm sure you know. I expect you to bake me something that won't make me comatose when you wake up, 'kay?" She pondered on that for a moment. "Well, comatose from poison or something. If it's, say, chocolate cake, and I happen to slip into a food coma, that's fine."

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and touched the necklace resting against her sternum. There was a warm sensation that traveled throughout her body from the action and a small gold cloud began to emanate from her hand. She placed it on the portrait.

* * *

It had been approximately 93 days since Emma first used her magic on the Evil Queen portrait and it transported her into the realistic world of Regina's memories. Emma was forced to emulate Regina's emotions as the events had transpired. She had witnessed many acts of violence and cruelty. After each memory was complete, Emma returned to the room with the portraits and a piece of the portrait was restored. It was near completion.

But tonight was different: tonight Emma had witnessed something so despicable and horrifying that she instantly became disillusioned with her choice. It made her question her motives and if she could ever be able to continue her search. What had transpired had infuriated Emma to the point where she forced herself to wake, tore off the covers on her bed and stormed over to Regina's sanctuary.

"DAMN YOU!" Emma screeched and used her father's sword to hack at one of the mannequins that posed in one of the Evil Queen's garments. "Damn you to fucking hell, you bitch!" She tore one of the apples from the faux tree Regina had in the middle of the room and chucked it at one of the mirrors, shattering it to pieces. She dropped the sword completely and picked up the mannequin and threw it at another.

She would not stop until the room was trashed completely. She would obliterate every last trace of the woman from this world and be rid of her for good.

Chest heaving, Emma stalked over to where the twin coffins of Regina and Cora lay. The glass glowed a dim blue, its colour pulsing like a faint heartbeat. She eyed Regina. The woman looked like she was in a peaceful slumber, like an _innocent _when, in reality, she was nothing but a filthy monster that would never change and who no one could love because people who did that kind of shit could never change and could never be forgiven and who didn't deserve it and she wasn't worthy of Emma's time and devotion and…

"…Emma…"

Emma startled as her mother's voice penetrated the red haze she was engulfed in. She turned to see Snow standing in in the doorway, arms loosely wrapped around her middle. There was something infinitely sad and calm about her and Emma felt her rage die down a little.

"I can't do it. I won't. I shouldn't."

Snow looked steadily at Emma. "You know you would never be the same."

Emma shook her head. "It would be worth it. The world is better off without her. You don't even know half the shit she did…and what she did to Graham…"Emma shuddered. "I can't forgive her that. Ever." Emma heard a loud plop and looked to the ground where there was a small pool of blood. A dull throbbing began in her hands and she looked to them to see the knuckles cut and bruised, the red liquid pouring out of them. She glanced at Regina's coffin to see the smears left by her blood splattered across the surface. "I won't forgive her for killing herself, either."

There was a small sound from Snow. Emma didn't care to know more about it. "Whether or not you should do this…you'll do what you truly want, Emma, and we will support your decision, whatever it may be. Don't hate yourself for feeling what you do."

"You haven't the slightest clue how I feel for Regina!" Emma roared and the action of her whirling around to face her mother sprayed blood from her hands, like a sunrise on the floor.

_You __**can't **__feel for her._

Snow gave her a look that Emma had only seen other mothers give their children, the memory from her childhood sad but being fulfilled at this very moment. "…I like who you are, Emma. You would have had a completely different life if Regina hadn't done the things she did…you likely wouldn't even be here, if she didn't. That doesn't excuse all of the horrible things she did, nor should it. Despite everything, she finally was showing the signs of wanting to change for herself. I could see it before you and I went back home."

Emma shook her head. That place would never be her home.

"But, Emma…" Snow halted, her words frozen as well as her body. "…I have hope. I know it's never what you think you had but you truly do. You've changed, too."

"That's completely different," Emma said. "I did some awful things but I was never a monster like Regina was."

"Do you think it's possible she doesn't want to be that person anymore?"

"That doesn't matter. She will always be that person," Emma vehemently denied.

At that Snow finally seemed to snap out of her indecision and walked up to Emma and slapped her. Emma brought a hand up to her cheek. "Emma, _you_ were the one who believed so adamantly in Regina and that she had changed. _You_ understood her as she was right before she died. Yes, you know more of who she _was_ but who she was trying to be was what you saw. She knew that you saw her that way, the way she wanted you to look at her and when you stopped seeing her that way, it broke her, returned her to who she once was." Snow then cradled Emma's face in her hands. "But, Emma," and voice was injected with such love that Emma could practically feel it warm the cold in her heart. "You _believed _in her and Regina regained herself because of that."

Emma felt her teeth begin to chatter. She would _not_ cry, and certainly not for Regina.

"Emma, I lied to you."

Emma tried to wrest herself out of Snow's grip but Snow only increased the pressure of her hands and held Emma in place. "I said I didn't remember anything about that story my mother told me. You can certainly put the words into a search engine and translate them, and you can do that when you're ready. But you should know the story behind it."

Shaking her head, Emma finally broke free of her mother's hold. She began to walk away when her mother's voice called to her once more and it stilled her.

"Once Upon a Time...there was a sad and lonely woman. She had done terrible things in her search for someone to love. Her terror reigned over the lands and she was known as the Evil Queen. One day she realized all she had done and walked away from the path she had chosen but no one would love her because they only saw who she used to be. So she sought out a magician of great power, whose skills were greater than her own.

'Why, dearie, what troubles you so?' The man asked.

'I want to love someone and have them love me in return. I've changed but no one seems to see who I truly am.'

'Then freeze your time so that you will wake and be able to find someone that doesn't recognize you. Or travel to a different world where no one will know of your wicked past,' the man suggested.

'No,' the woman denied. 'I want to be loved for all that I am. I want someone to help me defeat the pain in my heart and know all of me and still love me.'

'That's a lot to ask for,' the man replied. 'If you want everything, you'll end up with nothing.'

'I'll wait forever, if I have to,' the woman said. 'I've already waited my whole life and I've borne the consequences for my deeds and will continue to do so if it means I get what I desire.'

'You've done a great many terrible deeds,' the man said. 'Nothing comes from nothing, though, and for all you've done in the world, there are still those that would love you still.'

'Truly?' The woman asked, astounded.

'A question if I may, before I grant your request,' the man said.

'Of course,' the woman replied.

'If you receive this person you desire so, would you change anything you've done?'

The woman took a moment to consider her life. The man saw a great range of emotions cross her face before it settle don bittersweet. 'If I did, I wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't be able to experience True Love if I hadn't done such awful things, for True Love heals a person and saves them.'

'Very well then,' the man answered. He took a hair from her head and used it to fashion a book. Then he took a drop of her blood and placed it onto the middle of the cover. Script began to appear across it.

The woman looked up at the man. 'What was written?'

'It's the story of your heart, dearie,' the man said. 'It's the words of the True Love you seek. It's the promise from your Saviour.'"

If Emma listened, truly listened, she could hear the sound of Snow crying.

She walked out of the room and didn't look back.

* * *

For the first week after Emma had demolished Regina's 'sanctuary', she didn't sleep. She was afraid if she did so, her magic would force her into finding Regina once more, despite her desire not to. She eventually succumbed but, to her relief, she only found herself in the familiar darkness she had been in right after Regina had died. The necklace Gold gave her did in fact dull the consequences of not searching for Regina.

It was heavy and cold against her chest. Emma thought the cold would burn an indentation of it in her skin and she found herself constantly rubbing it, just to make sure it didn't.

Everyone knew that she had stopped her search, but they thankfully respected her wishes, for the most part. Henry would snub her from time to time and she couldn't blame him. He was well–aware of the transgressions committed by Regina from The Book but there were things he was better off not knowing.

Best let him love his memory because that's all he was getting.

Snow had stayed true to her word and supported Emma but Emma had noticed that her mother slowly began to eat apples again, and David himself had requested apple cookies on occasion. Emma wouldn't touch the stuff.

Perhaps what was most surprising of all were the disappointed looks she would receive from Neal…and Gold. She avoided the latter like the plague he was and as long as she could do that, it was easy to fool herself into believing everything was fine.

She was working a Saturday and everything was fine. She wasn't thinking about Regina or regretting her decision or planning on moving on or anything. Emma hadn't gone near Regina's old house or her hidey–hole since that day. Today was different, though.

It was, after all, day 1,613 since Regina died.

To her surprise, the place looked extraordinarily well–kept and it occurred to her why that was when she spied her father driving a lawnmower across the yard and her mother bending down on the ground, presumably taking care of the flowers.

Instead of anger, Emma felt only sadness. She got out of the cruiser and made her way up the walkway. Her dad gave her a surprised wave and nearly drove into the hedges.

"Charming! What do you think you're—Oh! Emma!" Snow exclaimed and straightened up to greet Emma.

"What are you guys doing here?" Emma asked and shied away from her mother's touch. However used she was to the action, Snow's smile still faded a little.

"Helping Henry," Snow answered and indicated the door. She turned back to resume her weeding and Emma felt a prickle of amusement. How pleased would Regina be if she…Emma shut that thought down and scowled at herself.

"Hey, Mom!" Henry greeted her as soon as she shut the door behind her. Neal poked his head from between the banisters to give her a cheeky greeting. Emma rolled her eyes at his antics.

"Henry, what are you guys doing here?"

"It was my idea," Neal said and descended the steps to stand next to Henry. They were nearly the same height now and something about it made Emma's chest ache. "We've been giving the place a thorough cleaning every Saturday for years. I…I think it's the least I could do for her, you know? Like I have to make up for the time we didn't have and the things she went through for my sake."

Emma crossed her arms sullenly. "Even though she was manipulated, Regina still made the choices that she did, many of which she was not forced to make. She did awful things, Neal."

He shook his head. "I'm not denying that, Emma. I'm just of the mind that she didn't receive much kindness, let alone kindness without a price."

Henry frowned at that and Emma could sense he was thinking back on his conditional love for Regina. "Those who deserve it least of all are the ones that need our love the most, Mom. You taught me that."

_Wait, what?_

"What are you talking about, Henry? How could I have taught you that?"

Henry shrugged. "You gave Mother a chance, even when you had every reason not to. You wouldn't have tried so hard if it was just a promise to me."

Emma felt something crawl into her chest and try to overtake her. She bit her lip to avoid succumbing to it. "Do you hate me for…"

_Running away_.

"No, not anymore," Henry smiled forlornly and it was so Regina that Emma felt her eyes water. She gave into the ache in her heart.

Neal craned his neck a bit to smirk at Emma. "Someone once said that there are some people who are good for us, some who are bad for us and some people we just _choose_."

Emma wished she could love him the way she used to. "I'm not sure I made the right choice, Neal."

"But it's _yours_, Emma."

_"I'm sure you understand, dear. A life led as nothing more than a glorified puppet, under the illusion that the choices made were its own. Then, blessedly, the day comes and you can finally choose something. It matters not what the choice is about. The point is that you get to make the decision and it's unequivocally yours."_

Emma had spent the past several years trying to reconcile who Regina had been with the Regina that she had known. Perhaps the anger she felt at Regina wasn't entirely because of the heinous acts she had committed, but Emma's own decision to stick with Regina, her own feelings for the woman…No, of course not, Emma firmly told herself. She did _not_ love Regina.

"D'you think that's why Regina told me not to find her? Because she didn't think I could persist in saving her, knowing all she'd done? Well, that's stupid of her," Emma petulantly huffed and ignored Henry's eyes lighting with joy. "She doesn't know me at all. I have half a mind to find her just to show her she's wrong."

"At least you've half a mind," Neal said under his breath to Henry who snickered.

Emma glared at them both. "The hell is so funny?"

"So you're going to keep saving Regina just to spite her?" Neal lied through his teeth.

"Y'know, the other half of my mind is of the opinion the I should help you meet the Tooth Fairy," she shook a fist at Neal who merely laughed.

Henry intervened before Emma could show her deadbeat ex just how serious she was. "You're a lot like Mother," he said and it stopped Emma cold. "Your first instinct when you're angry or hurt is to smash all the things. Tear them apart."

The truth of the statement hit Emma like a freight train. She was never evil…but she _could_ have been. It would have been easy to take that road and how it would have eased her pain. But she knew what it was like to come back from that pit of despair and to keep going and how the love you found at the end was infinitely more special than the one you had lost.

Huh.

It turned out she _still_ understood Regina…and herself.

Emma let out a soft laugh and Neal and Henry shared an incredulous look. "Thanks, kid. You stuck by me…everyone did… even though I lost myself to doubt and anger, my own and Regina's. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go fix Regina's White Tree of Gondor."

"Wait, what?" Neal asked and beckoned Emma back from her position at the door. "We can help you."

Emma shook her head slowly. "No thanks. I made that mess and it's my job to clean it up."

* * *

When Emma went to bed after spending the rest of her day bleaching the shit out of Regina's secret place, she was exhausted and a tiny bit afraid. What if she couldn't find her way back to Regina's heart?

What if Regina gave up on her like she did?

Emma drifted off after a restless hour of tossing and turning in her sheets. She opened her eyes to the sound of a fireplace crackling. She shivered and turned around to find the Evil Queen already watching her from her position on the divan, the sparkles in her dress glinting madly in the firelight.

"I was beginning to think you'd never return."

_What the flying fuck was this?_

Emma had been just a visitor in Regina's memories, never an active participant and no one had ever noticed her presence. She looked over her shoulder to see if anyone else was there but was met with nothing but air. She turned back to see the Evil Queen gazing at her. There was something predatory about her gaze that set Emma on edge. She wasn't sure that she liked it.

"My mother told me that magic is power, and power is freedom," the woman said in an almost disinterested tone but she was just making a play at deception. Emma had seen enough of The Evil Queen to know how her mind worked and the tricks she played. "Love is power," she continued after gauging Emma's reaction. "When the entirety of your heart is willingly placed in someone else's hand and you have the knowledge that they could annihilate you at their whim. Your belief and trust hinge on their fancy staying with you…"she glanced at the fire crackling behind her before leveling Emma with a dark look. "…but that's nothing but an empty promise. For one day they _will_ end you, without fail. Whether it be by their absence or betrayal, it matters not. The fact remains that they hold dominion over you for as long as you have those feelings. As they had given themselves over to another," and her voice began to rise as well as her body, "as _I _had given myself to you! And that's exactly how you repaid me! You denied me and betrayed me!"

Emma stood her ground. She had already faced this woman before and nothing she could say or do could dissuade her now. Emma did whatever the hell she wanted and she wanted to see _her_ Regina, the real Regina.

The Evil Queen deflated upon realizing her power play was ineffective. "You were to be mine, you know. Mine to love. The child _Leopold _denied me, the one to save me. But now you know why it wasn't meant to be. I ruin everything I touch. I _ruined _you," and there she was—Regina was hiding underneath the Evil Queen's pain but Emma would draw her out.

She always could.

"No, it wasn't you who ruined me," Emma stated and The Evil Queen brought her gaze back to Emma's eyes. "I ran away. I wasn't ready to be the Saviour…yet again. But, hey, you're a part of Regina, so you must have heard it, too, yeah?"

"_Even if you leave me, I'll return to you."_

Regina gaped at her and a blot of darkness expanded from the middle of her chest and overtook the room. Emma scrunched her eyes shut against the sensation and when she felt safe once more, she pried one open and gasped.

The portrait of The Evil Queen was complete.

Emma looked around the room to notice that it was slightly brighter and that some of the mirrors had been repaired. She rushed to the bed and touched Regina.

She wasn't cold anymore.

* * *

_Ai invatat sa fi singur, ca am_

_You've learned to be lonely, as have I_

_Suntem atât incend__iu; în loc de a arde în flăcări noastre se adaugă în fiecare alte şi strălucire toate mai luminoase_

_We're both fire: instead of burning out our flames add to each other and shine all the brighter_

_Umpleţi vidul în inima noastră_

_Fill the void in our heart_

_Pentru dacă sufletul meu isi aminteste-ne, n-ar trebui sa ai tai?_

_For if my soul remembers us, shouldn't yours?_

* * *

The ensuing two months after The Evil Queen was repaired was split between taking care of the town like she used to, spending time with her family, learning how to control her magic with the help of Gold who she refused to see unless Neal and Belle were present, and going through the memories of Mayor Regina Mills.

Emma remembered the pain of those first months she was in Storybrooke, and, yeah, Regina was quite the bitch but she found herself mostly annoyed and irritated rather than outright hostile like she used to feel constantly. It was kind of familiar in a way and Emma had to wonder if she was a masochist.

Each day she found herself growing close to her family again and no longer would she shy away from Snow's touch and the hurt look that sometimes would take residence in her mother's eye disappeared. David would join her more on her patrols around town and they learned to be able to talk to each other without their tempers flaring up. Henry had returned to the easy enthusiasm and effortless affection of their earlier days and Emma was touched that he was able to forgive her so readily. He would talk about Regina a lot, now, about the times before The Book was introduced into their lives.

Emma had seen what she felt was Regina's most precious memory the other night. A young Henry had presented her with a clay handprint that proudly declared 'For Mommy.'

She jimmied the lock to Regina's mansion after she woke up and brought the little piece of art to the Sanctuary to lay at the floor by Regina's coffin. It was still in a vertical position and Emma was pretty sure the blue glow emanating from it was getting brighter. She wondered if it had anything to do with Regina's soul being patched up.

Every day, Emma felt a little less empty inside.

After a particularly enjoyable Saturday where the whole family plus Neal had gotten into a rowdy game of football, Emma began to feel her blood rush to her head. Her lessons with Gold, while supremely annoying and left her rife with harassment, had paid off and she was able to channel her magic to allow her to transport her heart to Regina's in an instant. Of course, it left her body vulnerable, so she only did it while she was sleeping or under the protection of her family, but it gave Emma a power trip every single time. No wonder Regina loved it.

Emma found herself in an intimately familiar place: outside the door to the Mayor's office. She opened the door swiftly and made her way to the desk behind which Mayor Mills sat, diligently bent over a stack of paper work, pen scribbling furiously. She pretended not to know that Emma had entered but the woman tried too hard and Emma saw through that BS just like old times.

"Ah, Sheriff Swan," Mayor Mills deigned to address Emma after several minutes, just to show Emma how little she cared. "I see you've finally decided to see me."

"Mayor Mills," Emma slowly enunciated and placed her hand on the Mayor's desk. The action caused the Mayor to let out an exasperated sigh and scowled before raising her eyes up to Emma. She blinked rapidly for a few moments as she raked her eyes over Emma's body again and Emma pulled back from the desk, suddenly self–conscious.

The Mayor smirked and Emma slumped her shoulders. She was played yet again. Damn, but if the woman wasn't good.

"Don't worry your pretty little head, Madam Mayor," Emma smirked right back and folded her arms, relishing the position of her height, forcing the Mayor to look up at her. "We can still have our Friday night girls banter. Shall we talk about boys and paint our nails?"

Mayor Mills' smirk diminished into something infinitely more real. Emma was secretly pleased. "As you wish, Miss Swan. I'm not sure I want to tell you this, for fear of your already large head inflating even further but I am compelled to do so."

Emma scowled and Mayor Mills' saccharine smile was sweet enough to rot her teeth down to her roots.

"I'm not sure mine has much room to expand with yours taking up all the room."

Mayor Mills rolled her eyes and got down to business.

Point for Swan, Emma inwardly crowed.

" Miss Swan, you gave my son to me," and the touch of reverence that always appeared when Henry was mentioned was clear. "With his arrival my life became more real again, less…empty. And then you showed up," she deadpanned and Emma winced from the effort of holding back a chuckle. "Much to my dismay, mind you, you made me feel…"and, as if realizing that she'd revealed more than she intended, Mayor Mills cleared her throat and adopted her best stern expression but Emma saw right through it. "You seem to bring out everything within me when I never wanted to let you in. We're too alike Miss Swan, we both like fire too much," she tilted her head, pleased that she had lost Emma with her vague statement. "You know I happened to prefer the magic that burned and my desire to crush hearts." She lifted an eyebrow and Emma was surprised to feel only a fleeting moment of anger from the memory of Regina crushing Graham's, and others' hearts. "Their hearts all turned to ash and I loved it. But, no matter how many times I crushed _yours_…it only became embers, reigniting every single time. You transformed from an inept little tart to annoying pain who was occasionally useful…to my friend," Regina finished and there was that vulnerable look on her face that Emma saw in their final days together.

When Emma made sure the portrait of Mayor Mills was indeed repaired and she returned to reality, she dug the book her mother knew as a child out from under her pillow.

_The Saviour's Search, huh?_

She logged onto Henry's computer and opened the file on his Desktop labeled 'Operation Saviour.' She smiled, the file's creation date the same as the day they obtained the book. The translated passages popped up before her eyes.

Emma finally let herself weep.

* * *

_Vom completa reciproc: în oglinda din interiorul_

_We complete each other: the mirror inside_

_Arată-mi de viaţa de zi cu zi pe care o doreşti_

_Show me the everyday life you desire_

_... Pentru ca este ceea ce e in mintea mea, precum si_

…_because it's what's in my mind as well_

* * *

"So…Henry passed his driver's exam today," Emma whispered to Regina as she sat next to her on the bed. The portrait room was nearly restored and the brightness was almost warm and inviting. Emma had been seeing the young Regina for nearly two months now and if she ever needed a reason to hate Cora, most of the memories gave her an endless supply of loathing. It was little wonder Regina had such a strange parenting style. Some things she did as her mother had done but she also was able to do the complete opposite, maybe because she knew if she did that, Henry wouldn't wind up like her. Her mother had told her about Daniel and she had seen him in memories so far, but had not witnessed his death as of yet. Emma had a feeling it was coming up soon, for the portrait was nearly complete.

Every night, Emma made sure to sit on the bed and inspect Regina for any changes. The Evil Queen portrait had restored warmth to the body while the Mayor Mills one had brought the rosy tint back to Regina's cheeks and skin becoming that dark, richer hue so vibrant with life. Emma felt happier with each day and was amazed at how Regina had retained such a positive outlook on life while under Cora's thumb. Emma had turned to a life of crime and Regina became a top–notch horse rider. Or whatever they were called, Emma frowned slightly. It figured that Regina would have been a class–act even at that age.

Emma wished Regina would start breathing again. The act of breathing was so calming. Henry had remained an affectionate person, even as a young man, albeit in the privacy of their own home. Emma would watch the rise and fall of his chest when he would fall asleep on the couch next to her and wonder just how his heart looked on the inside. Was it like Regina's? Or perhaps there were clocks inside of him, just like his room. She wondered what hers looked like.

"You would have freaked out," Emma asserted and began to brush her fingers through Regina's hair out of habit. "I bet you would have quizzed him and given him a practical, wouldn't you?" Her fingers stilled. "Regina…I'm sorry. You should have been here for this, for everything. I ought to have apologized sooner. You were worried I would take him from you and I wound up doing it when I promised not to." She brought the back of hand to Regina's cheek and the softness of her eyelashes against Emma's knuckles caused her heart to skip a beat. She recalled Regina doing the same to her. "It was wrong of me to leave you alone for so long…will you forgive me?" She leaned down to whisper it in Regina's ear.

Emma stood and walked over to the nearly finished portrait and laid her hand against it.

* * *

"Why would you do this!?" Regina cried up at her mother.

Emma felt her own heart break at the beginnings of a shattered girl on the ground before her. When she first saw the portrait, she had wondered what it would take to break this Regina and she got her answer.

She wished to hell that she didn't.

Cora became agitated and started to speak but another voice sounded lowly from behind Emma.

"I did it because I loved her."

"Holy shit!" Emma yelped and slashed the air sideways with her left arm as she leapt back into a defensive posture.

_It couldn't be!_

Cora laughed, even as she looked on at the memory of the mess she created decades ago. It was a look of pride and self–satisfaction. Emma felt her body tremble with the force of her anger. The memory dissolved into nothingness and for once, Emma was engulfed in an entirely white area. "Don't you give me that. You can't do things like _that_, like killing someone your daughter _loved_, and try to justify them with the bullshit excuse about doing it because you 'loved' her!" Emma roared and the very foundation of Regina's heart began to crumble. "Get out of our heart," she threatened lowly.

Nonplussed, Cora tilted her head back and smirked condescendingly. "Isn't that simply _precious_? Your heart is shielding me from me own daughter. Why would you ever want to separate a mother and daughter? Surely you must know the love they share would never relent its hold on their hearts."

Emma exhaled loudly through her nose. "How come Regina isn't awake but you're here? I've been searching for her, not you," she glowered.

Cora smiled, a line painted on the face of a porcelain doll. "My daughter has changed herself so many times, and for fools such as yourself, no less. Each break takes more time to repair, as you've noticed. I, however, have always been myself. As to how I'm here, why I have you to thank for that, dear," she chuckled and Emma bristled. Only _Regina_ could call her that. "Each step you take for Regina is another for me." Her smile faded and her eyes locked onto the necklace resting on Emma's neck, no longer a heavy burden. "Where did you get my necklace?"

Emma's hands flew to the item. "Damn him! Gold gave me this, knowing that it'd help restore you!"

Cora simply laughed at Emma. "Not true, but good guess. The Vas Gol spell ties the caster's and victim's souls together and binds them. By restoring Regina you do the same to me."

"_Trust me Henry, you will not be happy as long as Cora is alive."_

Emma took a deep breath. She wouldn't leave Regina again, not _ever_, not even if it meant bringing back the most soulless creature she had ever faced. There were plenty of ways to deter Cora back in reality, Emma was sure of it. Gold was on her side now, but there was no need for Cora to know that.

"What's this necklace for, then?"

"I presume Rumple intended it to help you. It contains my price for Regina," Cora said flippantly. Emma knew it was going to be a doozy. "My love for Eva."

"My _grandma_!?" Emma echoed incredulously. "Putting aside all the weird and just….ew….about that, how is that even possible?"

Cora clucked disapprovingly at Emma's reaction. It was a little disturbing that the action was so familiar that it softened Emma momentarily. "With enough power, anything is possible. Your own mother erased the love in her heart."

Emma's mind whirled. With enough magic…if Cora's love was contained in her necklace, maybe that was a part of her soul, like how a part of Regina was here in Emma's heart. Emma smirked and concentrated her magic in her hands and placed them over the necklace. She wanted to see Eva, she wanted to see Eva, she wanted to…

"You!" Cora's shriek pulled Emma out of her trance and, standing next to Emma, was a hauntingly beautiful woman, whose features Emma could pick out in her own mother.

But the resemblance to Regina was uncanny. It wasn't so much that they looked exactly alike but there was something in the way they held themselves, the tilt of their chins, the gentle way their eyes would crinkle as they looked at Emma. Eva smiled fondly at Emma before it was wiped away by a hideous scowl matched exactly to Cora's.

"Cora."

Cora's body shook with untold fury and she reared back, her right arm poised as if she were about to unleash a blast of magic. She brought it forward with the motion of throwing an object but nothing came of it. Cora looked shocked as she gaped at her hand and kept bringing it back and forth as if the magic would appear the longer she tried. Frustrated curses poured from her lips and the tautness in Eva's shoulders died down. Emma glanced between the both of them curiously.

"Why isn't my magic working?" Cora demanded out loud and looked accusingly at Eva.

Eva gave a sad sort of smile and Emma's heart froze momentarily. "We're in Emma's heart, now, Cora. She brought us here to protect Regina." She turned to smile at Emma and Emma was overwhelmed with the urge to fall into her arms and be held.

The statement gave Emma pause. She thought of the first time she found Regina, and the darkness that engulfed the area. Eva just confirmed that this white area was Emma's heart…so if the dark was Regina, and the light Emma's, then, the more of Regina that Emma restored brought light to Regina's heart…the more _Emma_ that was in _Regina_…it suddenly made sense to Emma. The poem, the room, everything. She had taken Regina's darkness and now she was giving Regina her light. Their hearts were slowly becoming one, and with it brought a happiness to Emma she had never known. Their family, their son…and each other. It was the life she had searched for all along, and, if what her mother told her about the story was true, Rumplestiltskin had indeed planned it out—_Regina_ had wished for this. There were still unanswered questions but they could wait. Emma felt her breathing become shallow. It was more than just understanding Regina, more than they were just mirrors of each other.

Emma _loved_ Regina. Her heart was made for Regina. It wasn't even just _love_; it was _True Love_.

"…Emma…?" Eva gently laid an arm on Emma's shoulder. Emma forced a smile even when her mind and heart were reeling.

"Regina doesn't need to be protected from _me_," Cora said and her tone was dangerous. Emma returned her focus on the woman. If she tried, really concentrated, she could discern what it was that Regina still loved about the woman. Somewhere, deep inside, Cora must have loved Regina and gone about it all wrong. In that moment, Emma pitied Cora and Regina both.

"I think she does," Emma softly said. "You killed Daniel and abused Regina in countless ways."

Cora recoiled from the statement as if it were slander. "I never wanted Regina to suffer as I had, but she kept finding ways to hurt _herself_. I only want to be there for her, to help her pick up the pieces. And don't forget, dear, that you broke her, too," Cora sneered.

Emma nodded—apparently the silent admission took Cora by surprise for her posture wobbled for a fraction of a second before she rolled her head down and her lips curled in a fashion that was no less than cruel. "If you're so bent on protecting my daughter, then perhaps you should start to protect her from yourself."

"Like you have?" Eva retorted. "You ruin everything you touch."

"_But now you know why it wasn't meant to be. I ruin everything I touch. I __**ruined**__ you."_

"You _chose_ a child over me!" Cora roared. "That curse was meant for _you_! Don't you preach to me about right and wrong when you did the same thing yourself, you filthy _liar_," the word dripped with more venom than Emma ever heard from The Evil Queen.

Eva strode closer to Cora and they began to circle each other, tension palpable. "But you always had to have the last word, didn't you? Cursing my daughter wasn't enough, no, you had to crush my heart."

"It was no less than what you deserved," Cora paused and rolled her head back so she look down her nose at Eva. "In fact, that was a mercy. You wouldn't have to live with what you had done any longer."

There was something resigned about the way Eva shook her head. "Cora, you know we're both to blame." Her tone turned pleading. "We can't let our daughters, our families, continue to pay our prices. Let Regina go."

Cora looked affronted at the suggestion. "I _love_ my daughter and I will not leave her, especially now when she needs me most," she insisted.

"_I just want to be free."_

"I know you love her," Emma said and it caused both women to break their gazes from each other to turn to her, one horrified and the other confused. "…but your love has brought nothing but suffering to Regina and she still loves you anyway. You've gone about it all wrong and you owe it to her to grant her what she wants. She couldn't bear to live a life without you but she loved Henry…and me…too much to let you take us from her." Emma felt tears start to trickle down her face and she wondered if they were from just her heart. "You've already destroyed one of her Happy Endings—do you intend on taking another?"

Cora and Eva remained frozen and it was difficult for Emma to tell who was more taken aback. Emma started and grasped the necklace that Gold had given her. She undid the clasp and walked over to the two older women. She offered it to the both of them.

"That's the necklace I gave you," Eva breathed. She took it from Emma and something broke in her face while she beheld the jewelry.

There was something heart–breaking in Cora's voice when she finally began to speak. "I thought I'd be helping Regina pick up the pieces, but it turns out I only broke her heart more, and in the ways I had sought to protect her from." Cora studied Emma for a long moment. "I saw you take her heart."

"I didn't _take_ her heart," Emma meekly protested.

"She _gave_ it to you and that made all the difference." There was a glint in Cora's eyes that showed Emma her humanity, long since buried. "At least you're the prophesized Saviour—I would expect nothing less for Regina," she airily said and the cover–up was so obvious it brought a garbled chuckle from Eva.

Eva offered her palm and the necklace to Cora. The woman stared at it for a long moment before reaching forward and grasping it, looking at Eva. Emma wondered if Cora would always see Eva in Regina and that's why she did what she did. Eva inclined her head so she could smile at Emma. "Thank you, Emma, and…"

"Yeah, I'll tell her," Emma uncomfortably shifted her weight.

A purple mist erupted from the necklace and engulfed Cora and Eva. When the mist dissipated, there was nothing left but the necklace lying on the floor. Emma bent down to retrieve it and brought herself back to reality. She kicked off the covers from her bed and raced across town to Regina and Cora's coffins. The pulsing blue light was as bright as ever on Regina's coffin but Cora's had gone completely dark. Emma glanced down at the necklace around her neck. She concentrated and brought herself back to Regina's heart.

Emma stood at the foot of the bed for several long moments. She lowered herself next to Regina and took off the necklace and placed it around Regina's own neck. Her right hand wandered up and down Regina's shoulders. She tilted her head and brought her lips to Regina's cheek to kiss away the invisible tear tracks. Emma brought her legs up on the bed and positioned herself so that she was curled behind Regina and brought her right hand up to Regina's and interlaced their fingers. She wished that she could feel Regina's heartbeat, but, as she buried her face in the juncture of Regina's neck and shoulder, her body was pressed so tightly against Regina's she could feel her own heart beat in the woman's body, perhaps she already could.

* * *

Instead of going to speak to her mother, Emma returned to the nearly finished portrait of young Regina. Only her eyes were missing. Emma looked back at the body on the bed and kept her eyes trained there as she touched the portrait.

"Princess Emma!"

Emma let out a garbled epithet as a body slammed into quite suddenly. The arms that were crushing her ribs tightly drew back and Emma felt a bit dizzy as she beheld Regina Mills. They were standing in the middle of the fields where Regina would spend most of her time riding around with Rocinante. Regina Mills was gazing up at Emma with unadulterated adoration and, for the first time, Emma was struck by how _beautiful_ the woman was. This Regina was precious, Emma thought, simply because she held onto something so tightly that the other aspects of her tried to repress.

"I remember you, Princess Emma!" Regina Mills grasped at Emma's hands tightly and Emma couldn't help but let out a surprised smile. "You still look a little sad," Regina Mills' smile faded slightly and Emma felt her eyes begin to water. "What of that sweet boy I saw with you? He must love you even now when he is a young man." She looked down for a moment as if trying to recall something important.

"Henry," Emma supplied softly and gripped Regina Mills' hands back. This brought the young woman's gaze back up with their previous light and a sweet smile.

"Yes, that's it," Regina answered and retracted one of her hands to bring it to rest on Emma's cheek. She tenderly brought her fingers from Emma's cheekbone to the underside of her jaw. "I will love you, too, and we can love each other and never be alone. That's the Happy Ending I've always wished for."

Emma was moved in a way she had never felt before and it caused her to drop her other hand and gather Regina Mills into a tight hug. She heard the young woman sigh blissfully, as if she finally were safe at least and Emma couldn't help feeling the same.

With her arms still wrapped around Emma's neck, Regina Mills spoke again, voice slightly muffled. "Daniel…I loved him more than he ever knew. But you, Princess Emma," she drew back and stared up at Emma with an endless adoration. "You know just how much I love you. Our hearts are one because I remember making a wish that you would never be sad or lonely. So my heart stayed with yours. Just like how the sun goes down and the moon rolls up, their love keeps the world bright." She laid a reverent kiss to Emma's cheek and Emma felt herself get tugged backwards and she fell down right underneath the portrait of Regina Mills, now finished.

Emma raced to the bed and placed her fingers on Regina's throat. A faint heartbeat could be felt underneath her fingertips and Emma felt the joy wash over her. Regina was nearly complete. Without wasting another second, Emma ran to the last portrait and skidded to a stop. It was still completely blank. Her magic gathered in her hands and she placed them on the portrait. Minutes ticked by but still nothing happened. Emma began pounding her hands against the portrait in frustration. She could not have come this far and be stopped just short. She paused for a moment and felt her determination rise. There was one person who could possibly know what needed to be done.

"Rumplestiltskin."

* * *

_Unde esti?_

_Where are you?_

_AM nevoie pentru a merge la tine astfel încât arată-mi calea_

_I need to go to you so show me the path_

_Poate căvoi găsi răspunsul în inima mea_

_Perhaps I shall find the answer in my own heart_

_Apel numele meu din inimă; un sunet am totul a fost în aşteptare pentru_

_Call my name from the heart: a sound my everything has been waiting for_

_Locul intre dormit si treaz este unde vă veţi iubi întotdeauna_

_The place between sleeping and awake is where you'll always love me_

_Speranta in inima ta este în al meu_

_The hope in your heart is in mine_

_Întotdeauna voi fi cu tine_

_I shall always be with you_

* * *

Emma slammed the copy of 'The Saviour's Search' down on the counter in front of Gold. The man graced her with his usual unimpressed face and Emma hated that she could see Regina in it. "I've got some questions and I'm pretty damn sure you have the answers."

"Manners, Miss Swan," Gold snarked and, not for the first time, Emma felt completed to slug it off his smug face. "I presume the necklace came in handy?" He pointedly looked at the place where it used to rest.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it had my _grandma_ in it and somehow Cora's disgusting ass showed up and blah blah blah they disappeared into it. So tell me how that is."

Gold shot her an exasperated look. "'Blah blah blah' is something no one could possibly explain, Miss Swan." He waited for her to elaborate but Emma merely stared him down. "I presume Cora told you what was contained in the necklace. It didn't have your 'grandmother' but merely who she was in Cora's heart. Does that make sense?"

"Not really," Emma admitted. "But I guess it would explain why Regina looks a little like Eva."

Gold smiled eerily. "That's right, Miss Swan."

"Thank God for small miracles," Emma smirked as she looked Gold up and down. "What was the deal between them anyway?"

Gold merely stroked the cover of the book upon the counter. "That, dearie, is a tale that is unimportant. Suffice to say, it could easily have been yours and Regina's. You say that they 'disappeared' in to the necklace?"

Unimportant her ass, Emma stewed silently but let it slide. She could always get Neal to help her harass the story out of the old creeper. "Yeah, they said something about a curse and then they both held the necklace and it looked like Cora activated some magic and they disappeared. The necklace was all that was left. I checked the coffin and Cora's no longer glowed."

Gold pondered that for a moment. "Cora was betrayed by Eva and she cursed Snow White to become the Evil Queen."

Emma drew her head back. "Wait, wasn't that _Regina's_ title?"

Gold nodded. "Cora cursed Snow White to have the darkness from her mother's heart become her own. Eva sought out yours truly to swap her 'light' for Snow's 'dark.' Cora, by some stroke of luck," and Emma knew exactly how that happened, "found out what had happened and found Eva. They fought and Eva transferred the curse to Cora, who was carrying Regina at the time."

"_Like you have? You ruin everything you touch."_

"_But now you know why it wasn't meant to be. I ruin everything I touch. I __**ruined**__ you."_

"Oh," Emma exhaled shakily.

Gold eyed her as if he were putting the pieces of a puzzle together. "Cora must have sealed herself into the necklace, which contained her love for Eva. Only Eva would be able to release her."

Emma jerked her head up. "Regina placed a part of her heart in me, so I have to release it! That's why she hasn't woken up yet!"

Gold smiled triumphantly. "It would seem the merger your heart has made with Regina's has had some unexpected benefits."

Emma glowered. "Tell me about that book. How did Eva have it? Is it true?"

"I gave it to her," he answered. Gold looked steadily at Emma. "You know it to be true. I've been accused of forcing Regina into all the choices she made, but, you see, Miss Swan, Regina _did_ choose her life."

"That's impossible," Emma declared. "That woman can't have been Regina."

Gold smiled. "Every fairytale has a bit of truth to it, Miss Swan. I created the book the exact same way when Regina was a baby. I knew she was going to be my monster, but, you know how I like deals. I had to give her something as well, a present." Emma felt her heart stop. "And that's what she chose: You."

Emma let his words saturate in her mind for a minute. "It was never my choice, then, was it?"

Gold picked up the book and shuffled around the corner to stand in front of Emma. "While Regina may have wanted someone to love her like your heart does, the words in this," he waved the book, "are _yours_ and yours alone. You're the one who chose to love Regina, after all."

"Are you saying I _chose_ to go through everything I have?"

"Just so you could be the one to fulfill this promise?"

Emma paused. She remembered that conversation when Regina took her heart, something that had happened before Regina left a piece of herself in Emma's heart. "I heard her…"

"…and you answered her call when you could have ignored it."

Emma backed up. "Are you saying that Regina and I were the first True Love?"

Gold's smile held no trace of malice. "Precisely."

Emma shook her head. "That's impossible! I wasn't even born yet!…I don't believe in that." But she did believe in her and Regina.

"Whether you believe it or not doesn't make it true."

A shock coursed through Emma as she remembered thinking that very thing so many years ago. "I'm going to wake her now," she hesitated and looked at the book. "I doubt she'll be ecstatic to see you, but all of you know where I'll be."

Gold's eyes softened and he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Don't fret, Miss Swan. We won't want to miss this."

* * *

Emma stood panting for several seconds in front of Regina's coffin. It had taken a monumental effort to pry the lid off. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her pants and took a steadying breath. The moment had come at last and Emma felt her excitement mount with each second. She placed a hand over her heart and gathered her magic there. The other hand hovered just over Regina's chest. Emma placed her hand down.

There was a plummeting sensation and Emma closed her eyes to fight the vertigo. When she opened them, to her surprise, she hadn't arrived in the portrait room but rather a wide open field, the only object there a withered apple tree. Emma tilted her head. The entire area was different shades of grey and she was confused as she pulled her hand back to see that her body was also rendered in the same bleak manner.

"Regina," she called out as she made her way to the tree. "Regina, answer me. Where are you?"

"I'm scared," the faint voice of Regina rippled in the air. Emma began running toward the tree and kept circling around it frantically. "I've been bad for far too long. That's all anyone will ever see. I'll always be alone."

Emma came to a full stop. "Maybe that used to be true. I understand, Regina. I used to be that way, too. Always alone. And it's sad, it's painful, it's enough to make you never want to come back. I felt that way but I met Henry and you know how he is. Things change, Regina, we change. We've both failed each other and ourselves," Emma reached out to the trunk of the tree and laid her forehead against it. "But we're together now, and if we're together, sometimes we hurt each other and we part but that is never the end. You're always with me and I with you. We made that choice and it's _ours_."

Something echoed that sounded a lot like laughter and smiles. Emma opened her eyes to see she was leaning against the final portrait. Regina looked just as she was depicted on the bed and in it Emma could see the woman she knew. She turned around to see all four portraits brought to physical forms standing around the bed. She quickly made her way to them.

Regina smiled at her fondly. "Thanks for finding me, Emma, all of me."

Emma looked at each form and then down to the bed to see the body arranged like it was in the coffin in the real world. Her light had restored the room completely.

Her heart had restored Regina's.

She moved to the side of the bed and looked down at Regina. "Can I kiss you?"

The lips moved slowly. "Only if I can keep you."

Emma kissed Regina.

* * *

The kiss Emma had bestowed upon Regina felt a lot like life. Emma continued to lightly press her lips against Regina's and each one filled Regina with breath. She opened her eyes and Emma drew back slightly, her emerald–cerulean colored eyes looking at her like they never had before. Regina felt woozy and toppled forward but Emma instantly caught her and held her, safe and secure. Regina burrowed her face into Emma's golden locks and felt her body tremble.

"Welcome back," Emma whispered into her neck, the words searing themselves into her skin.

"Mom!"

Regina lifted her head and drew back from Emma as their son scooped Regina into his arms and lifted her effortlessly off the ground, twirling her around several times. Regina laughed and the sound of it seemed foreign even to her own ears. He set her down and grabbed her hands.

"You're so handsome," Regina fondly said and ran her hands across his face, memorizing it, picking apart the features he used to have.

"I love you," Henry said without hesitation. He looked at Regina with the affection he had when had present her with the little art depicting his handprint so many years ago. The memory flooded Regina's heart and she realized she finally had her son back.

"I love you, too, Henry," she whispered and his grin was all she had ever wanted. He tilted his head and Regina gasped as she followed his cue to see Snow clasping her hands tightly together, the look of the little girl who had adored her painted across her features. David was standing by her side and even he had a gentle smile upon his face. Baelfire was standing next to him as well as a stoic Rumplestiltskin.

"What are you all doing here?" Regina questioned.

"We're here for _you_, Regina," Snow answered quietly. Baelfire gave her a wink and Regina rolled her eyes fondly.

It hit her, then. They _were_ here for her. They now accepted her, trusted her, believed in her, just like…Emma said they would. All of the conversations Emma had with her in her heart crashed over Regina, the love raw and consuming, and she turned back to face the woman behind her. Emma was looking at her with a smile Regina had only seen a handful of times. Regina felt more grateful with each passing second and each moment she stared into her Saviour's eyes spread the warmth from her heart throughout her body.

Regina made her way to Emma and spent several moments looking her all over, drinking in every minute detail. She flung her arms around Emma's neck and Emma gripped back just as tight. She could feel Emma's heartbeat fluttering rapidly and through it she could feel Emma's emotions, thoughts and dreams. Never before had Regina felt a happiness, a love, more powerful and encompassing as this. It was more addictive and fulfilling than even holding Emma's heart in her hand.

Emma pulled back slightly to cup her cheeks and Regina's hands came to rest on Emma's clavicles. "I said I'd never leave you."

Regina gave a watery laugh as Emma brushed away her tears and felt a thrill race through her as Emma fondly caressed her face. "You gave up your Happy Ending for me."

Shaking her head, Emma tilted her head so that her nose brushed Regina's and each word that fell from her lips was a kiss against Regina's skin. "Just because it isn't the Happy Ending I thought it'd be doesn't mean that it isn't one."

Overcome, Regina ardently pressed her lips against Emma's to have every bit of passion returned. Short of breath, she withdrew slightly and smiled when Emma tried to reengage. Regina brought her hands up so she and Emma mirrored each other's hold on their faces. "_Emma," she whispered like a devout prayer. To hear the name was like to receive grace. "You've given me something far more precious than a life, than a Happy Ending. True Love, something that heals and saves a person."_

_This time, Emma's tears against her fingers did feel an awful lot like absolution._

"_Hope."_


End file.
